MHR-Lyon: “Important to regain victory”, “a horrible performance”… reactions after Montpellier's victory

Un succès face à Lyon qui fait du bien au moral pour Julien Tisseron et le MHR. MAXPPP – JEAN MICHEL MART

Patrice Collazo, manager du MHR : "What I see is 70 full minutes with a team which played constantly in the advance, which mastered everything, its conquest, its defense, its scoring zones, in particular even more in the second half, less in the first half. Afterwards, indeed, the last ten minutes are more complicated. But we tried things because we are still in a period where we can try things before the access match. That one was important. It’was important to rediscover the emotion, to reconnect with the emotion of victory, especially in matches like that, where it’s the last match  ;at home for many players.

The ranking of the Top 14

Above all, we had to win because we were still under the threat of Oyo from an accounting perspective. There was still something to look for. Lyon too, I think they were looking for places in the rankings and aiming a little higher too. When you come out of six consecutive defeats, it’s not easy to attack a match as we did. I think we were consistent. We're still in a phase where we'll try things next weekend while trying to stay consistent. The goal is to have 33 players potentially on the evening of Clermont who have playing time to select the best possible team."

Julien Tisseron, back of Montpellier: "We are very satisfied with the first 60 minutes, we will say. But it’s true that we had said things to each other about sectors where we had to respond, notably conquest. We had a big game from our forwards, in the conquest and the rucks, so it’s true that it’s much easier for us behind. We were able to put our game together a little. We were also able to manage our weak moments by reversing the pressure, using the kicking game a little more, so a fairly full match, at least until the hour mark, but after… hellip; We're going to remember that today."

Lenni Nouchi, captain of Montpellier:"It feels good to come out of a match with a smile, it’s been a long time since we last had it. It feels really good to be able to win in style, because we took 3 tries in the last 5 minutes, but overall the match is complete. The whole team is really satisfied with this performance. Being able to win back feels good. We know that in 15 days, we have a very important match for us, for the club, for Montpellier, so it feels good to regain a little bit, to put a smile back on our faces to approach this match with a little confidence.

"Our performance is horrible"

Baptiste Couilloud, scrum half from Lyon : "I'm not surprised after this spanking or taking off my pants. It’s a shame. Our performance is horrible. I have no words. Before the match, I would have imagined that we would be able to play with desire to the extent that we are freed. But, when I see the match we played for 70 minutes. There is a big mental part in all that. There are a lot of players who can't find motivation to be good. You have to question yourself. Beyond the levers, the guys have contracts. We don't respect our commitments to the club when I see our performances outside. It’s disastrous. There are a lot of players who have cheated all season. The proof is still there. It’is not possible to show this face."