Voting has opened today with clubs given until midday on Wednesday (June 14) to choose either Buisson or Grill to lead the organisation.

Alexandre Martinez is set to vacate his position as Acting President following the election of the new leader of the FFR at the Elective General Assembly.

He was the organisation’s treasurer before taking on the temporary role in February after Bernard Laporte resigned following his corruption conviction.

Buisson, the vice-president of the FFR, had been proposed to take over on an interim basis but this suggestion was rejected by French clubs before Martinez’s appointment.

The elections are being held in two stages, with the first held at the end of last month when clubs voted to replace the vacant position on the FFR Steering Committee following the resignation of several members who then demanded Laporte to step down.

A total of 11of the 12 positions were taken by members of "Ovale Ensemble" - a collective which has long called for change with the FFR governance.

This will be seen as a victory by Grill, leader of the group, but those behind Buisson still hold 27 of the 38 seats on the Committee.

"With 27 elected out of 38, our teams keeps a comfortable majority to make its own decision until 2024 and follow the course of the programme for which you voted," Buisson wrote in letter to voted reported by French newspaper L’Equipe.

"A cohabitation would be harmful to our institution.

"The truth is simple: poorly elected, Grill would be unable to implement its programme for 18 months, especially if it went against the efforts of our elected majority."

Buisson has revealed that Guilhem Guirado, the former French captain and hooker, would be installed as vice-president should he be elected as the new head of the governing body.

"[Guirado] will bring his vision, his energy and his experience which will write a new chapter for the future of our federation," said Buisson.

Grill said he was convinced that the two opposing parties can work together - a proposed alliance which has been refuted by supporters of Buisson.

"For me it is possible and I’m very confident about this," said Grill in a report by Quinze Mondial.

"Three months from a World Cup, I don’t imagine that 20 people can block French rugby after three vote where the clubs have expressed themselves in an extremely clear way.

"The majority pretends to unite with the effects of heading and stiff remarks, but I know that there are several currents and that among them more reasonable people with whom we can work without difficulty tomorrow."

Grill ran for the Presidency in 2020 but narrowly lost out to the now-disgraced Laporte, who took 51.47 per cent of the vote.

Laporte agreed to resign from his role as head of the FFR more than one month after being convicted of corruption charges.

He also "self-suspended" himself from his position as World Rugby vice-chair following the outcome of the case, one of several scandals in French sport which overshadowed preparations for next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. 

Laporte's charges related to his relationship with Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 side Montpellier, whose eponymous company became the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team's jerseys in 2017.

He was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined €75,000 (£66,000/$81,600) in the case.

France is scheduled to stage the Rugby World Cup from September 8 to October 28.