MHR: thanks to a newfound touch and scrum, Montpellier sets out to reconquer against Bayonne

Tyler Duguid rises into the Montpellier sky to recover the throw from his hooker. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

Montpellier Hérault Rugby welcomes Aviron Bayonnais this Saturday, February 24 at the GGL Stadium (3 p.m.), a match counting for the 16th day of the championship. His winning performance last week at Racing 92 left a lasting impression. A good omen for the future ?

When conquest goes, (almost) everything goes. For three months, Montpellier has gradually rediscovered the accuracy of this adage. And this corroborates its current revival, capitalized by the five-star performance at Racing (20-44) last weekend.

The MHR grows again. Strong. MHR jumps high again. Very high. In scrum, touch and on carried balls, without forgetting a titanium defense, the MHR regains its letters of nobility. Those who made its strength the year of the title in 2022. Those who make the strength of the greatest, quite simply. 

Calendar and ranking of the Top 14

The new staff organization, in place for three months, has found its feet. And its balance. The Montpellier residents, today, are entitled to their coach of the sidelines (Antoine Battut), of the scrum (Didier Bès) and of contact attitudes (Christian Labit). Without forgetting the manager Patrice Collazo, sensitive to the play of the forwards. At the start of the season, Richard Cockerill was alone in managing all these sectors. And his method did not please.

"Having specialized coaches allows us to work out details"

Having a specialist in each area has transformed the pack. The new training methodology too, with sessions "shorter but more precise", notes pillar Baptiste Erdocio.& nbsp;

In Racing, the Montpellier scrum blew away its opponent, despite being the best in the championship. If we remember the crazy race of Cobus Reinach on the fourth try of the MHR, the work of the scrum is indeed at the origin of the action. background started by Didier Bès, three months earlier. 

Also read: "You have to know how to be patient with your problems" : how the MHR staff manages competition within their group

"Didier brought a real breath of fresh air, assures the pillar Enzo Forletta, back at an interesting level in recent weeks. He knows what he is talking about. I've rarely had a scrum coach like that. You feel like he's been training for a while. He really sees all the details. Even in his way of managing, he gives confidence. Didier does a hell of a job."

"We got stuck in conquest in La Rochelle. Didier, Antoine and "Nache" (nickname of Christian Labit) prepared Racing really well. There was a conquest huge. We were effective on the balls carried in defense and attack. And we had a very good scrum, appreciated Collazo after the success in the capital. Without forgetting the two precious balls stolen into touch by Janse Van Rensburg and Florian Verhaeghe, the two control towers of the Montpellier alignment. 

In the emergency situation that the club is going through, seeing a conquest dominate again is a first step in the quest to maintain. Operation is not foreign to this. "Having specialized coaches allows us to settle the details necessary to win matches and get out of this zone red", concludes Erdocio. And set out to reconquer after a year and a half of hardship.

I subscribe to read more