A new era has begun for French women’s rugby with a player-led call to expand the national team’s leadership group.

Les Bleues competed in last year’s inaugural WXV competition under new captain Manae Feleu, the young second row from Wallis and Futuna in the Pacific Ocean.

It was a bold call to give the youngster the captain’s armband at just 23, and one year on, France head into the second edition of WXV with a new approach, as Feleu and centre Marine Ménager will serve as co-captains.

While some might read that as a demotion for Feleu, the decision was actually one taken by the players, with Ménager having served as vice-captain previously.

Feleu explained: “The name is not the same but not much has changed in the role. I always leaned on Marine. There was not a day where we were told there would be co-captains. Instead, it was a request from us.

“We felt that we would be more comfortable with two of us in the role. It’s different for the supporters more than anything, with it being announced like this.

“By our natures, we are not the ones who are going to speak the most. But our roles mean that sometimes, we have to do so. We know that if one of us speaks, they are speaking for both of us.”

France will begin their WXV 1 campaign against hosts Canada, as they look to improve on last year’s tournament where they finished fifth.

In New Zealand, they had kicked off by beating the world champion Black Ferns on home soil, before losing to both Australia and Canada.

Since then, France came second in the Women’s Six Nations, and Ménager is hopeful that a new leadership system will help them improve further.

She said: “The co-captaincy means that we are very close and we talk about everything, all the time. We see each other a lot more than before. The fact that there are two of us facilitates things. We have personalities that help it work.

“We work much better as a pair. Our relationship has always been built on complementarity and discussions between Mana, myself and the coaches.

“Being captain brings a number of demands. Doing that on your own can sometimes maybe forget your role as a player. When we are in the middle of a busy competition period, the idea is to not overburden one girl. It will help us a lot to both take on these tasks.”

As well as Canada, France will also face the USA and New Zealand in WXV 1, looking to follow in the footsteps of England, who won the first edition and will be looking to defend their crown.