Bernard Laporte had supported the proposal to scrap the stadium plans ©Getty Images

Bernard Laporte, the new President of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), has confirmed the scrapping of plans to develop a new national stadium scheduled to open in 2023.

Initials plans proposed by his predecessor Pierre Camou had been to build a National Stadium in Essonne, south of Paris.

The venue would have cost a reported €600 million (£511 million/$644 million).

But Laporte, who was chosen over Camou in elections held on December 3, had argued during the campaign that the money would be better spent elsewhere, such as investing in the country’s youth development.

The 52-year-old, who led the French team as head coach from 1997 to 2007, is hoping to secure a better deal than the current fee they pay to hold international matches at Paris’ iconic Stade de France, which currently stands at around €700,000 (£600,000/$750,000) per game.

"The Board of Directors has validated the final shut-down of the Grand Stade project," he has now told reporters following a first meeting of the FFR Steering Committee.

The Stade-de-France stadium should continue to host French rugby matches ©Getty Images
The Stade-de-France stadium should continue to host French rugby matches ©Getty Images

Camou had been hoping to replicate the English model where Twickenham Stadium is fully owned by the Rugby Football Union.

He had enjoyed support from former Prime Minister and French Presidential candidate Manuel Valls, also an ex-Mayor of the neighboring town of Évry.

But the Stade de France, the stadium used for matches at the FIFA World Cup in 1998 as well as during the Rugby World Cup of 2007, should now continue hosting home matches during the SIx Nations as well as the Autumn Internationals.