The Royal Moroccan Rugby Federation has announced the appointment of Bernard Goutta as head coach of the national XV, a few months after he left US Carcassonne.

The 53-year-old coach is a leading figure in Catalan rugby. Developed in and based in Perpignan, he spent most of his playing career there as a back-row forward; the Moroccan federation cites 298 appearances in the USAP shirt and 112 as captain. Our records, which begin in 1998, count 153 appearances and 14 tries.

His only cap for France dates back to 9 July 2004, in a win in Canada (47-13). He scored a try that day.

As a coach, his career took him from Perpignan (2007-2012) to Colomiers (2012-2017), then to Clermont as forwards coach alongside Franck Azéma (2017-2021), to SU Agen (2022-2023) and finally to US Carcassonne, whom he led to the Nationale title in 2025 before leaving the club last May.

“The appointment of Bernard Goutta, an iconic figure in French coaching, is part of the Federation’s strategy to develop fifteen-a-side rugby,” the statement said. The stated goal: to guide the Atlas Lions to World Cup qualification.