MHR-Oyonnax, the Bérézina! A look back at the seventh defeat in a row for Montpellier which sinks into the limbo of the Top 14

MHR-Oyonnax, the Bérézina! A look back at the seventh defeat in a row for Montpellier which sinks into the limbo of the Top 14

Florian Verhaeghe and the Montpellier residents failed to gain the upper hand over Oyonnax. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

The MHR suffered a seventh loss in a row in the Top 14 against Oyonnax at home (21-26) despite the big commotion of the week.

Joaquim Phœnix plays Napoleon wonderfully in the latest Ridley Scott. We see a determined conqueror, deeply guided by his convictions. But with a tormented mind. So much so that he causes his own downfall.

The MHR is in this case. At the peak of his glory in June 2022, a bit like Austerlitz for Bonaparte in 1805, he is today close to the depths of nothingness, stuck in a catastrophic sporting situation.

MHR-Oyonnax, the Bérézina! A look back at the seventh defeat in a row for Montpellier which sinks into the limbo of the Top 14

The defeat against Oyonnax at home this Saturday pushes it even further. A Berezyna. Army chief Mohed Altrad tried to urgently build a new staff from all walks of life last week, led by his now right-hand man Bernard Laporte. The former president of the French Rugby Federation oversees everything, right down to the speeches in the locker room. The mission is to regain dignity.

In vain. His generals Patrice Collazo, Christian Labit and Vincent Etcheto failed, in an emergency, to remobilize troops with undeniable talent but low morale.

Three tries after kicking behind the back

"Commitment, conquest and discipline”, was the leitmotif of the week. A triptych noticeably reminiscent of the winning one of Philippe Saint-André in January 2021, when he took over this team: "Defense, conquest and pragmatism."

On Saturday, this refrain was rather respected by the Montpellier residents (7 penalties conceded, 95% in touch, four stolen balls, 100% in scrum). But the verses were missing. Everything else remained at a standstill, especially in the second half. Offensive desires, kicking game, efficiency and strategy. This whole part was controlled by… The opponent, Oyonnax. The promoted. Unable to bring home a point until yesterday.

Also read:Bernard Laporte on the edge of the pitch during the MHR warm-up, all the staff omnipresent

"We lost the territory and the occupation in the second period", summarizes Patrice Collazo. It’s nothing to say. The Oyonnaxiens invaded the Hérault camp 65% of the time between the 50th and 80th. They tormented Julien Tisseron and Louis Carbonel in the back of the field with great force. "Chandelle sur Carbonel! Candle on Carbonel,” shouted the Ain staff at the end of the match. Well seen. The flyhalf took a tidal wave, lost the ball and the promoted team went behind the line for the fourth time (74th). The third try after a kicking play behind the defense.

Head coach Patrice Collazo then increased discussions with Christian Labit to find solutions. On several occasions, we saw him address his players individually, looking for tools to get things moving again. Nothing worked. His men were too affected.

Already at the bottom of the hole, they continue to dig a little deeper.

Waterloo to avoid

Here are the Montpellier residents, eight points behind the twelfth, Bayonne. His future opponent. "The task is immense, I know where we are starting from. We have green lights, others bright red. I don’t overwhelm the players,” assured Collazo.

The nightmare continues in Hérault. The gloom is felt in all the arteries of the club. The public, already not really the most famous in the championship, disappears match after match, disappointment after disappointment. Some even left the stadium before the end of the match. Disorienting the club speaker, forced to shout to keep an empty shell alive. The fanfare that invaded the field at the end of the match while morale was six feet under left an image of incomprehension. Like this team.

Also read: MHR – Oyonnax: "We're playing our part, there's no more secret", post-match reactions

Slowly, the scenario of seeing the twentieth season of MHR in the elite like the last is taking shape. We can only hope that the parallel with Napoleon is not too similar. Because the next battle, Waterloo, means the end of history. The state of emergency is more than ever declared.

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