“Right now, it’s Koh Lanta”: the MHR engaged in its fight to remain in the Top 14

Paul Willemse et les Montpelliérains doivent se montrer intraitables à domicile. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

La lourde défaite à Toulon (54-7) a servi de rappel à l’ordre à Montpellier. Le maintien en Top 14 est loin d’être assuré.

Win to survive. The doctrine is clear in Montpellier. Except that it is the same in Lyon and Perpignan, the two competitors to avoid 13th place, synonymous with a jump-off against the losing finalist of Pro D2. The MHR may have excelled over the past three months, but its adversaries have continued to advance. Slower than the Hérault club, certainly. The difference is that the latter had such a gap to make up that it took a crazy dynamic (seven victories in nine matches) to get back on track. A dynamic clearly broken by the slap received in Toulon (54-7) last weekend.

Calendar and ranking of the Top 14

Montpellier fell behind thanks to away performances (at Racing and Oyonnax). However, they have not yet made up for the three home losses at the start of the season (Racing, Clermont and Oyonnax), where LOU and Usap have better kept their lair.

Also read: Top 14. Reactions after RCT – MHR: "The score is heavy and logical", "It doesn't reflect our last three months"

So the calculations are simple for the end of the season. "We receive four times in the last seven matches. We know that the teams who will win all four at home and who will seek a result away should not be very far from the truth", notes the second row of the MHR Paul Willemse.

No dead end possible

The question is who will break first. The slightest setback at home for one of these teams could turn into a ball and chain, fatal as the final sprint approaches. Clermont and Bayonne are also affected. "Right now, it’s like Koh Lanta. We're all hanging from a bar, we're all looking at each other and waiting to see who's going to let go first", a wonderful image from Willemse.

The reception of the leader Stade Français this Saturday March 30 (3 p.m.) promises to be perilous for Montpellier. "We were 12th for a week, we quickly dropped back to 13th. We have pressure every weekend. There, we receive the first. Afterwards, we will move to teams that need points. If you find matches without stakes, I will take with pleasure…", smiled yellow Patrice Collazo. It’s not Perpignan and Lyon who will say the opposite. The two teams face each other on Saturday…