MHR: the quintet of coaches headed by Bernard Laporte left to stay next season

Le manager général Patrice Collazo (à droite) se dit en mission pour le MHR. MAXPPP – JEAN MICHEL MART

Recrutés le dimanche 19 novembre, les entraîneurs Patrice Collazo, Vincent Etcheto, Antoine Battut, Christian Labit et Didier Bès ont de fortes chances de poursuivre leur mission en cas de maintien dans l'élite.  

The perspective is premature, but it offers a good trend: if by chance the MHR, the red lantern of the Top 14, manages to remain in the elite, there is much to be expected bet that the current staff will be renewed next season (Patrice Collazo, Vincent Etcheto, Antoine Battut, Christian Labit, Didier Bès).

Also read: Bernard Laporte and the future of the MHR: "With stars, we will fill the stadium", "a foreign coach, but for what purpose ?"

This is in any case the wish of his rugby director Bernard Laporte, who refutes any idea of ​​hiring a foreign coach, while the New Zealanders Joe Schmidt and Ian Foster were at one time considered. The 2023-24 season is only halfway over and Laporte is already actively working on the future contours of the team.

Building over time

"The objective is to build over time", assures- he, without losing sight of the primary mission of the MHR, carefully expressed by the general manager Patrice Collazo: "We (the five coaches), we came for a mission. We are not at the start of a project, we are on a mission. I'm not going to talk to you at N+1, N+2, N+3, if we don't know what we're doing in six months. Afterwards, it will be up to the president and Bernard to see what projects they want to implement and with which men." 

Under contract for eighteen months, Collazo refuses to skip ahead. But he knows that by taking up the challenge of maintaining, it is also the future of the staff that he is cementing.

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