MHR : Altrad identifie les causes de la machine à perdre
Déjà neuf journées passées dans le Top 14 2023-2024 et le Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR) ne décolle toujours pas de la dernière place avec ses 7 petits points. Une seule victoire et huit défaites. Montpellier n’a plus gagné depuis ce premier match de reprise contre La Rochelle, 26-15 le dimanche 20 août.
Depuis, le club s’enfonce. 225 points encaissés et 150 points marqués dont un tiers (54) par Louis Carbonel, l’ouvreur qu’on voyait déjà partir à Toulouse deux semaines plus tôt pour éviter de travailler à nouveau sous les ordres du nouvel entraîneur Patrice Collazo avec qui ça s’était mal passé à Toulon.
« Des fois, on n’a pas le choix, on est obligé de rester et en plus d’être bon parce que mon objectif, c’est d’être performant », a soupiré Carbonel en conférence de presse le 30 novembre, visiblement condamné à bien s’entendre avec son nouveau boss.
« Quand vous êtes entraîneur, vous êtes pragmatique et ce qui compte, c’est la performance. Aujourd’hui, il n’y a pas de question sur le niveau de Louis Carbonel. Je comprends que ça fasse parler mais je ne m’attache pas à ça », avait prévenu le nouvel entraîneur dès sa prise de fonction.
Un nouveau staff disponible
Si Collazo est arrivé, c’est grâce à Bernard Laporte, appelé en renfort le 18 novembre par le président Mohed Altrad pour tenter de sauver le club. « C’était le seul disponible », reconnaît l’homme d’affaires franco-syrien dans les colonnes de L’Equipe du 4 décembre.
Collazo était lui aussi disponible (après avoir été remercié de Brive) tout comme Vincent Etcheto (libre depuis la fin de son engagement à Soyaux-Angoulême en juin dernier) et Christian Labit (sans club depuis le début de la saison). Un nouveau venu va venir renforcer encore plus le staff, Didier Bès (57 ans), ancien talonneur du club qui viendra s’occuper de la mêlée. Lui aussi était disponible après avoir quitté le LOU l’été dernier.
Altrad pointe les deux principales raisons du manque de réussite de son club
« Au bout de huit défaites d’affilée, c’est bien sûr compliqué moralement », concède Mohed Altrad dans les colonnes de L’Equipe en pointant la première vraie raison, selon lui, du manque de réussite du MHR : la stabilité.
« Ça a été particulièrement chahuté chez nous », rappelle-t-il en évoquant les derniers successeurs du Néo-Zélandais Vern Cotter qui était resté deux ans (2017-2019). Avant lui, le Sud-Africain Jake White était resté trois ans (2014-2017), soit un an de plus que Fabien Galthié (2010-2014) – qui comptait d’ailleurs Didier Bès comme adjoint de 2010 à 2012.
« Après le départ de Vern Cotter, Xavier Garbajosa est arrivé à l’été 2019 », égrène Altrad. « Puis Philippe Saint-André a pris la suite en milieu de saison (en janvier 2021) et on a perdu cinq matchs d’affilée avant de se sauver en fin de saison. Mais malgré tout, on a gagné le Challenge européen (au mois de mai). Philippe a continué avec un titre de champion en 2022. Ensuite, il a recruté Richard Cockerill et vous savez ce qui s’est passé avec lui… »
Outre la stabilité du staff, c’est la relation entre le staff et les joueurs qui est le deuxième chantier. « Un fossé s’était créé » avec Garbajosa, rappelle Mohed Altrad. « Ca a complètement foiré avec Cockerill », ajoute le président sans s’étendre sur le pourquoi de l’aventure qui n’aura duré que quatre mois. « Quand un entraîneur humilie ses joueurs, ça ne marche pas et il faut arrêter », dit-il sobrement.
Sauf que le club n’a plus le temps d’attendre de se relancer. La prochaine échéance sonne comme une dernière chance. Montpellier reçoit les Ospreys en Challenge Cup dimanche 17 décembre. Le challenge européen, c’est justement par lui que le renouveau du MHR était arrivé en 2021 sous l’impulsion de Saint-André. Est-ce que Laporte aura la même influence pour sauver le club ?
Comments on RugbyPass
“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
154 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
173 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
173 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
173 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
173 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
173 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the desperation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
173 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
173 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
2 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
173 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
173 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
173 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
173 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
173 Go to comments