On 19 January 2016, Novès named his first squad, including eight uncapped players. His first match in charge was on 6 February during the 2016 Six Nations Championship against Italy at the Stade de France. Novès bled 6 uncapped players in that match day team, defeating Italy 23–21.
On January 19, 2016, Novès formed his first team, which included eight unplayed-for players. His debut as head coach occurred on February 6 during the 2016 Six Nations Championship against Italy at Stade de France. Novès started with six uncapped players in that match, leading to a victory over Italy by a score of 23–21.