With a view to the future, where will a French coach come from to replace Walters, or take over the national job?

I think the possibilities are at TO as top man, or a position as assistant at Catalans and top man at UTC. These are the current top jobs that can go to a Frenchman. Who, in France, would be on the shortlist?

Good question. Laurent Frayssinous is the only Frenchman on the coaching staff with the Dragons, though Pascal Jampy and Bruno Verges are with UTC and will, presumably, have an input. TO have gone with the most experienced and highly regarded French coach in Gilles Dumas and Julien Gérin alongside him is just starting out.
Other than that, you wonder. Thierry Dumaine was the kid on the rise, but his stick fell sharply after Toulouse's woes last season. Luc Mendez has fallen off the radar almost completely since he left Pia and the top coaches in the LER are probably Patrick Albérola and Didier Comtat after he turned Carpentras around.

There's not a huge array of candidates around and that is a worry.

I'd definately go with Frayssinous

I thought Laurent was a kicking coach.

He's assistant coach alongside Dean Pay

Seems to me that French coaches at UTC/Catalans are kept on an equal basis, with no one person taking leadership. To develop a French coach we need to give them a clear mandate and a position of responsibility.

Yeah same thing at T.O with Dumas & Gerin, strange?

Gilles is the Coach at Toulouse with Jules ably supporting him. They work together and discuss different things which seem to affect the team. I had first hand experience of this at the team training and fitness sessions today in the Huddersfield area. Also Eric Anselme has input being the captain.