“Our benchmark match”, “we're going to scare other teams”… the reactions after MHR's victory against Toulon

Un succès important pour Sam Simmonds et les joueurs de Montpellier. MAXPPP – JEAN MICHEL MART

Victorious at home against Toulon, this Sunday January 7 (27-17), the Montpellier residents were relieved by this third success of the season.

Patrice Collazo (MHR manager):"I appreciated the character of the team over the 80 minutes even if we made mistakes. The missed reception at the kick-off allowed us to show color in Toulon. The first defensive sequence set the tone for the match. To play teams that are in the Top 4, you need commitment in strong areas. There are players who set the tempo, I'm thinking of Paul Willemse, on impacts, on tackles. I understood that we were in the match. The loss of the offensive bonus pisses me off for the players. I wanted to finish without conceding a test. We deserve more. I think we lost a point."

Geoffrey Doumayrou (MHR center):"On the face of the match, we have to take the offensive bonus, but we're not going to be choosy… Against Lyon, we missed out there,&nbsp We were consistent over 80 minutes in engagement, defense, conquest, we were strong. This is our reference match. Rugby starts up front and when you have the balls, it’s easier. Our defense was very efficient, we recovered a lot of balls. If we have a defense like that until the end of the season, we can hope for good matches. The hardest part is repeating it every weekend.

Baptiste Erdocio (pillar of the MHR): "If before the match we had been told that we would have 4 points we would have signed. Victory is good for the group, for the leaders. It's a shame not to take the offensive bonus, but we're still happy with the victory. We missed the Lyon match even if we can win it. The week was stressful but the group has the resources to play this kind of match. We always have an eye on the competitors. If we have more matches like tonight we will scare other teams…"

"We lacked humility"

Matteo Le Corvec (third line of Toulon): "We prepared well but as soon as’ we made a mistake, we lowered our heads and we lost our means. We lacked humility. We wanted to play ball too much and by making crappy passes, we set ourselves on fire. We needed to take more time to be more lucid. We wanted to play direct, mark them physically but we made random passes and we lost our means."

Pierre Mignoni (Toulon coach): "The Montpellier players did what was necessary , them… We are absent from the debates, there is nothing to say. We don't dominate anything, we are absent for 40 minutes in all sectors. We are absent, that’s obvious. Rugby is first and foremost a combat sport against a team that was playing for its life, there is no surprise. Fortunately we woke up in the 2nd half but we made mistakes which allowed them to score. We're not precise enough, it's absolutely not a high-level match. I believe that you have to be there as soon as the referee blows the whistle and that was not the case…"