The French rugby federation has been ordered to pay former coach Guy Noves 1m euros (£862,395) in compensation for wrongful dismissal.
A Toulouse labour tribunal rejected the governing body's case that Noves was guilty of serious misconduct.
The 65-year-old became the first France coach to be sacked when he was dismissed in December 2017.
He was appointed after the 2015 World Cup but France won just seven of their matches under him and lost 14.
Both parties can appeal against the decision - Noves originally asked for 2.9m euros in damages.