At MHR, the defense has regained color under the leadership of Benson Stanley and the return of certain leaders

Sam Simmonds en plein échange avec Benson Stanley (à droite), son coach de la défense. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

Avant son match contre les Lions ce samedi 13 janvier (21h), le MHR s’est rassuré en défense ces dernières semaines.

We can make the numbers say whatever we want. Against Lyon and Toulon, the MHR's last two matches in the Top 14, the Montpellier team made 91% of their tackles. A more than honest figure. Without seeing the matches, we can think that the defensive part is a success. That Benson Stanley, the boss of the sector, can be satisfied with his men.

Reality is not so simple. Against LOU, the Héraultais came through (20-18). "When we look at the quality of the tackles, we see that we rather wanted to give hugs", grits his teeth the former All Black center (3 selections) who arrived the’ last summer from Clermont. And against Toulon ? "There, it was more frontal, more direct, cleaner." 

As a result, the MHR won 27-17 with authority. The first ten minutes "set the tempo defensively”, manager Patrice Collazo appreciated at the end of the match.

Osmosis, leader and adaptation

"The basis of a good defense is the state of mind. You can have an incredible system, but if the guys aren't ready to go for it, it's no use, explains Stanley. It's no coincidence, then, that Montpellier has regained color for a month. The team is playing better, regaining success (four wins in five matches) and confidence is growing little by little. The other particularity of an airtight defense is the link between the players. Osmosis in the group solidifies all the foundations.

Nevertheless, there's no question of getting inflamed. "We need to be afraid to have a good match. Against Lyon, we relaxed after a decent game against Castres (30-21). We need to be more consistent,” recalls the New Zealand technician.

Doumayrou has a very good reading of the game, he sees things before they happen

The air gap will not be accepted against the South African Lions. To avoid this, the staff can count on certain leaders, absent at the start of the season, like Geoffrey Doumayrou. "I’use certain players to send messages. Guys like “Doum” do it naturally. He reads the game very well, he sees things before they happen, Stanley appreciates.

This weekend, Montpellier is going into Challenge mode. A competition with less pressure but more play and freedom. Even against South Africans. Enough to shake up the defensive strategy ? "I'm not a fan of changing a lot of things. I prefer that we focus on us. The defense is above all 80% us. When I was a player, I didn't like changing everything from one week to the next depending on the opponent, I was quickly lost, concludes the All Black. In this current period, there is no need to complicate things, in fact.

I subscribe to read more