Racing 92 – MHR: the Montpellier residents go to one of the heavyweights of the Top 14 but do not go there as victims

Gabriel Ngandebe sera titulaire au Racing 92 ce samedi 17 janvier. MAXPPP – JEAN MICHEL MART

Le MHR se déplace chez le Racing 92 ce samedi 17 février, match comptant pour la 15e journée de Top 14. 

Here we go straight: a four-way match to secure a place in the Top 14 next season. As it stands, Perpignan, Lyon, Oyonnax and Montpellier are engaged in this struggle to survive.

This weekend kicks off a first four-round fight before the next international break. The Lyon-Oyonnax and Oyonnax-Montpellier meetings, scheduled in two and three weeks, promise to be decisive for the rest of the season. One team, or even two, can complete this sequence with one knee on the ground.

The schedule for the next four days of the bottom championship

Day 15

Lyon – La Rochelle
Stade Français-Perpignan
Racing 92 – Montpellier
Toulouse – Oyonnax

Day 16

Montpellier – Bayonne
Perpignan – La Rochelle
Lyon – Oyonnax

Day 17

Bayonne – Lyon
Oyonnax – Montpellier
Toulon – Perpignan

Day 18

Clermont – Oyonnax
Lyon – Castres
Montpellier – UBB
Perpignan – Toulouse

The MHR begins its sequence with a not really fair duel. At least on paper. This season, Racing 92 is not boxing in the same category. Featherweight Montpellier will clash with heavyweight Ciel et Blanc, guided by the South African world champion and Springbok idol Siya Kolisi. What's more, in his favorite Arena.

The largest hall in Europe is not the most flamboyant when the people of Ile-de-France are treading on its synthetic lawn. The acoustics don't quite have the same resonance as a Taylor Swift concert, expected with great fanfare in the 92 the weekend of May 11. ;nbsp;But its atmosphere remains special. Only Toulouse managed to tame it this year, three weeks ago (20-27). A first blow to the heads of the Racingmen. Before a second the following week, given by Usap to Aimé-Giral (26-5).   

To avoid a third setback, synonymous with a KO in the top car, Racing intends to redo the cherry against the bottom of the ranking. Not ideal for Montpellier in urgent need of points. Even among the 4th in the ranking, with the best conquest, second attack and third defense in the championship.

Word to speed

"In our situation, everything matters. The teams with whom we are fighting will ensure that we stay at the bottom and the teams at the top of the table intend to score points against us", summarizes Patrice Collazo. 

But the Hérault manager does not arrive in the capital without a plan. On paper, the team lined up on Saturday afternoon seems reshuffled. "In La Rochelle, we put a bench in 7-1 (7 forwards, 1 three-quarter) because we had a strategy, which almost paid off. There too, we have one. Matches at the Arena are always special match profiles, oriented towards the offensive. We therefore cannot go there with a team of one and a half tonnes. The team fielded will be the most competitive for this match", assures the 49-year-old former international pillar.

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

No Geoffrey Doumayrou, Jan Serfontein, Alexandre Bécognée, Sam Simmonds or Titi Lamositele. The floor is given to speed, mobility and a disguised 6-2 bench, with Masivesi Dakuwaqa as a hybrid player. Lenni Nouchi, Florian Verhaeghe, Auguste Cadot and Gabriel Ngandebe were selected with the aim of building a team with a rapid profile" . To see if the liveliness will be enough to bring down the locals. 

Otherwise, a setback might not be dramatic for the MHR, given the confrontations that await its remaining competitors. Let the fighting begin.

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