Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Montpellier sack Xavier Garbajosa mid-season, appoint former French boss Philippe Saint-Andre

By Ian Cameron
Ex-France coach Phillipe Saint-Andre is set for a Top 14 return (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Montpellier Herault Rugby have parted ways with head coach Xavier Garbajosa and appointed former French head coach Philippe Saint André as his successor.

ADVERTISEMENT

Despite one of the biggest budgets in French rugby, Montpellier are currently residing in a lowly 13th place in the Top 14, leading to the sacking of the former French international. Now Saint André, who coached Sale Sharks to a Premiership win in 2006 and was head coach of France between 2012 and 2016, takes over as Director of Rugby.

A 9 – 16 home loss to Toulouse in the GGL Stadium in Montpellier appears to have been the final nail in Garbajosa’s figurative coffin.

Video Spacer

Nemani Nadolo’s time in MHR:

Video Spacer

Nemani Nadolo’s time in MHR:

A statement from the club reads: “After a detailed analysis of our sporting situation, Montpellier Hérault Rugby and Xavier Garbajosa have decided to end their collaboration.

“We would like to thank Xavier Garbajosa for everything he has brought to the club. Xavier has put a lot of energy and passion into his work. In particular, he worked to structure our training center and made it possible to integrate our young people into the professional workforce. He also helped to support and reveal our internationals. There will therefore remain a “Garbajosa” imprint within the MHR and we would like to thank him warmly for all his actions.

“We also wish him the best for the future.

“The MHR is being restructured from this day with Philippe Saint André who takes over the management of the professional team in support of the current staff and more particularly of the 2 coaches: Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Olivier Azam.”

Montpellier have one of the most stacked squads in professional rugby, with the likes of Handre Pollard, Johannes Goosen and Alex Lozowski to pick from in the flyhalf selection pot alone. Thanks largely to the deep pockets of billionaire owner Mohed Altrad, the rest of the squad boasts a host of French internationals, Springboks and Wallabies among their ranks.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Dean Richards set for return to rugby management Dean Richards set for return to rugby management
Search