Reactions after MHR-UBB: “This is the reality of rugby”, “Next Monday’s meeting will be interesting”

Tyler Duguid et les Montpelliérains ont été largement dominateurs en mêlée. MIDI LIBRE – GIACOMO ITALIANO

Après la victoire du MHR contre Bordeaux-Bègles (10-3) ce samedi 9 mars, staffs et joueurs se sont présentés en conférence de presse.

MHR

Patrice Collazo, manager du MHR : "In rugby, you simply have to know how to win. There is the aesthetic note when you win at Racing, it's fun. This is the reality of rugby, of the Top 14. We absolutely had to reach the front line in these Dantean conditions. I want to congratulate the players, the forwards. We were dense, aggressive. This match will make us grow. We had a very interesting occupancy and control rate in the first period.

We can still highlight the work of the staff. We were still very strong in the scrum, performing well on the line-out for fifty minutes. With the quality of the UBB players, it was sure that they would come back into the match. But we were solid.

The strategy paid off. The idea was to finish with a big five in front, big tacklers like Bastien (Chalureau), Paul (Willemse) and Tyler (Duguid). Obviously, we were going to lose a little touch afterwards. But it worked for us. Player involvement is really satisfying.

If options open up to us ? To see if we want to take them. It’s tight at the top, but also at the bottom. As long as we see other teams in the retro, we cannot announce things that we cannot deliver. Yes, we have more options, we have cards in hand that we didn't have a month ago. It’s also up to the players to know what they want to do next. Next Monday's meeting will be interesting. 

Anthony Bouthier, rear of the MHR: "It’was a tense match with wind and rain. We knew how to be good at strategy. Our big guys did a huge job. They won several penalties. It’s easier for us behind to manage the match. We were able to score a try which put us at ten points. We knew how to manage the score afterwards. We managed to repel them well, that’s what made us strong.

We go up a little, we move away a little from the last two places. We have had four victories in a row. We'll think about what's next in a week. There may be possibilities but we are focused on maintaining it."

Baptiste Erdocio, pillar of the MHR : "Given the weather, we weren’not going to send out big stir-fries. Your first job, when you're big, is to be a conqueror. We were penalized twice in the scrum, but overall, we had a great game up front. It's nice and gives three-quarters comfort."

VICTOIRE ! Nos Ciste restent invaincu en 2024 au GGL Stadium avec cette victoire dans des conditions dantesque ! #teamMHR #MHRUBB pic.twitter.com/4OPOGVsuTd

— Montpellier Rugby (@MHR_officiel) March 9, 2024

Bordeaux-Bègles

Jean-Baptiste Poux, forward coach of the Union Bordeaux-Bègles : "We didn't want to leave Montpellier without a point. It’s hard. Up front, we struggled with our conquest, the static phases, they were better than us. From beginning to end. It's hard to win when you're dominated like that. We lacked the basics even though we put in the energy. We were unable to respond. We sometimes had bursts, but it was too fleeting to hope to recover points from here, it's a big frustration."

Antoine Miquel, third line of UBB : "They managed the match much better than us, they had their touch. The two possessions we had at the end of the match clearly show that we had failures in this sector. We play matches to win them. A defensive bonus point would have been good for the heads. It’s us, the forwards, who take on this responsibility. We are impatiently awaiting the return of the internationals. Their return will bring a little emulation and energy."

Nans Ducuing, back of UBB: "We can talk about frustration, disappointment. We knew that it was going to be played in front given the difficult conditions, we were served. Each team had its halftime. We managed to change the situation in the second period with the support of the wind. But we had too much waste in touch, we would have liked to at least bring home a point.

These are matches that I like (smiles). These are playing conditions, for the spectacle, which offer a not very good match. Behind, we don't have too much fun, but we have to play. Only victory would have been beautiful. But we leave with 0 points, it’s annoying."