Bordeaux-Begles president "mad" at Australian Rugby Union

The president of the French club Bordeaux-Begles Laurent Marti has expressed his frustration at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) on the selection of Adam Ashley-Cooper and Sekope Kepu for the Rugby Championship.

Both Ashley-Cooper and Kepu signed a three-year contract with the Union Bordeaux Bègles following the conclusion of the 2015 World Cup giving indications that they will stop playing for the national team.

However, the duo's inclusion in the Australian squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship has left Marti fuming on Ashley-Cooper.

"Yes, I'm annoyed. Adam had told me that he would stop playing for the national side. He had the power to say no to his coach and his federation… he should have told me when we were carrying out our negotiations," Marti told Sud-Ouest.

On the other hand, Kepu has already ended his association with the Bordeaux club as he is set to rejoin the Super Rugby club Waratahs at the conclusion of the Top14 season.

The way the ARU handled the Kepu situation left Marti a lot to be desired.

"I'm mad at the ARU," he said.

"We released Kepu when he still had two years remaining on his contract. We haven't made a fuss about it, or demanded any compensation. They were not very graceful."