MHR: after the internal turmoil, time for mine clearance for manager Patrice Collazo

Patrice Collazo a déminé, en conférence de presse, le terrain au MHR. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

Le MHR traverse une crise en interne, à moins de trois semaines du match le plus important de son histoire. Le club, à travers le manager Patrice Collazo, tente de déminer le terrain.

Between players, with the president, the coaches… Like any club in crisis, the MHR has the "reunion" easy. The latest, on Sunday, led 35 out of 38 players to vote to meet Mohed Altrad. The subject ? Inform the president of the brittle management of the director of rugby Bernard Laporte, to recall the departure conditions of the appreciated Paolo Garbisi and other dysfunctions such as the lack of ;rsquo;harmony between staff members. An indicator of the emerging rift between coaches and players.

Outside the microphone, no member of the athlete wishes to comment on this uncomfortable situation. "We can't confirm anything, we have a &quot ;access match" to prepare", the people we asked answered.

#Rugby 🏉 Patrice Collazo sur la situation du MHR : "On n’a pas eu un piquet de grèves lundi matin quand on est arrivé" https://t.co/1aO9pB76G5

— Midi Libre Sports (@MidiLibreSports) May 29, 2024

The press conference this Wednesday, 72 hours before the match against Lyon – because yes, there are still two matches to play before "the’access match" on June 16  next –, was particularly anticipated. "The players will only answer questions about the match, nothing else& ;quot;, lets us know the club's communication.

Geoffrey Doumayrou and Marco Tauleigne, the two players invited to speak to the media, were therefore content to evoke the current atmosphere on the surface. "We talked, but not more than usual. The club's difficulties are largely due to the players, to our results on the pitch. Everyone became aware of it. It’s the first thing we said", simply commented "Doum", whose aura has missed during his long absences over the past two years.

A normal morning

Patrice Collazo was not entitled to this pitch. The manager of the MHR, who arrived urgently on November 19 in the luggage of Bernard Laporte, knows that he is at the heart of the controversy. ;rsquo;state of his group exploded. Nevertheless, the former international pillar cleared the land.

"You (the journalists) have attended numerous training sessions since the start of the season. Did you notice an upheaval today ?", he said about a potential takeover of the players. Indeed, Wednesday's collective training revealed no changes. Bernard Laporte, as usual, attended the session. Each coach was entitled to their specific exercise. The only slight difference was the presence, on the pitch, of Benoît Paillaugue. The presence of the junior coach is partly explained by the use of his players during the collective training of the pros. But perhaps its role will evolve in the coming weeks…

"We didn't have a picket line Monday morning when we arrived"

A normal morning, then. But what about all these meetings in recent weeks ? What about the meeting between the players and the president ? "I know the players ;met", assures Patrice Collazo. "But we didn't get summoned and say: we don't want that, we don't want that anymore. You may have understood it like that. I'm not going to tell you about a daily life that I don't know. What I can tell you is that there was a meeting last Wednesday, but it wasn't ;only concerned the game, the strategy."

Obviously, the staff is not blind or deaf. He does not remain indifferent to what he says. But he prefers to stay focused on the ’access match". And the manager assures him: "We did not have a picket line Monday morning when we arrived" (laughing).

These next few days are worth watching closely in Montpellier. The atmosphere is unstable. The adventures are not over. A victory against Lyon this Saturday (5 p.m.) could calm things down. A little.

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