“If we hadn’t wanted to come”: after twelve weeks of working together, the MHR staff seem to have found a balance

Patrice Collazo, Vincent Etcheto, Didier Bès, Antoine Battut, Christian Labit et Bernard Laporte. MIDI LIBRE – Jean-Michel Mart, Michael Esdourrubailh

Après presque trois mois à entraîner le MHR, le staff montpelliérain construit par Bernard Laporte et managé par Patrice Collazo semble avoir trouvé son équilibre. 

It's a little cramped. But in his small office, a stone's throw from the GGL Stadium locker rooms, the Montpellier staff is not too bad. Benson Stanley (in charge of defense) and Jérémy Valls (football) made enough room for everyone to work in good conditions.

On November 19, these two had to set up their work space. In twenty-four hours, they went from a roommate of four, completed by the duo Richard Cockerill – Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, to seven!

Faced with catastrophic results (six defeats in a row), the new sporting director Bernard Laporte has upset the hierarchy by building his new team. "It was done in three hours, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.", assures the' former coach of the XV of France.

Bernard Laporte and Christian Labit side by side. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

Exit Cockerill-Elissalde. Welcome Patrice Collazo (manager), Vincent Etcheto (responsible for the attack), Antoine Battut (touch), Christian Labit (attitudes in contact, rucks) and a few days later Didier Bès ( melee). Between the five of them, their CV is as long as the future line 5 of the Montpellier tramway. Their mission is simple: save the MHR boat from the whirlwind of relegation.

Nevertheless, a question surrounds this XXL staff: how can all these names, for the most part managers with strong character, coexist ? 

"If we didn't want to come…"

After twelve weeks, no one seems to have killed each other. On the contrary. "We pass by the office, it's messing around, it's laughing but it's working. It's nice and it rubs off on us, really", even confides one player. 

Osmosis between the coaches takes place. The results (6 victories, including three in Challenge, in 10 matches) and the game produced, certainly still largely perfectible, indicate that Montpellier is seeing a potential happy end to the season. "There is a very big responsibility, big stakes and on top of that a dramaturgy. We didn’not manage to take off from this last place, even if we managed to gain points and the championship at the bottom tightened", summarizes Collazo, which oversees everything.

For the moment, the mission is underway. Not without a hitch on the pitch, since points were lost along the way, notably at Lyon (20-18), at La Rochelle (18-10) and at home against Toulon (27-17). Off the field ? The group lives well. Possible ego squabbles have no place. "Can it work Collazo+Etcheto ? Collazo+Etcheto+Laporte etc..? People are waiting. But what are they waiting for ?  We're here to train. Yes, there are reputations. But if we hadn't wanted to come, believe me, we wouldn't have come. No one put a caliber to our heads. Then frankly, if I don't want to work with someone, I don't work with them. And what's more, I make him understand", the 49-year-old manager smiles.

"Everything is clear between us"

"We're here to save the club. From there, possible moods have no place. Yes, there are characters, obviously. And it takes that to be a coach. But we get along well enough to say things to each other. There is nothing left unsaid. Everything is clear between us and you can feel it. We found our balance", notes Didier Bès (57 years old), second most capped player in the MHR behind Fulgence Ouedraogo.

Clarity of everyone’s roles is the key to the proper functioning of this staff. Everyone respects their job description. "Everything is going very smoothly", assures Antoine Battut. "We can have different rugby sensibilities. But in the analysis, the brief' and the debrief' matches, we always agree. On certain micro-details, there are sometimes debates, but it's on the margins", adds Collazo.

Christian Labit, Antoine Battut, Vincent Etcheto and Patrice Collazo. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

A zest of daily good humor tops it all off. Etcheto wouldn't be the first to plug into the office. "We have a three-quarter coach who likes to put plays", smiles Bès. "We live well, that’s for sure. There are still characters, guys who you have a good laugh with. But we never lose sight of the objective , promises Battut. "The better we get along, the clearer our message will be to the players", complete Bès.

"Already the result puts a certain pressure, if in addition the staff generates negative pressure…, continues Collazo. Beyond our good understanding and the evolution of the team, even if it has not not materialized in all matches, we are moving forward. Not fast enough for our liking, but we're making progress."

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