Watch: Guirado slides into retirement with his Top 14 celebration
Ex-France hooker Guilhem Guirado enjoyed a rousing send-off after playing the final match of his stellar professional career, helping Montpellier to win its first-ever Top 14 title on Friday night. Naturally enough, the French team’s post-game celebrations were raucous, everything from multiple champagne-popping moments to having a bath with the Bouclier de Brennus trophy and so on.
However, one 16-second video tweeted by the official Top 14 Twitter stood out. Titled ‘When Guilhem Guirado slid serenely towards retirement’, it showed the 36-year-old taking a run from one end of the Montpellier dressing room. He then slid headfirst into the Bouclier which was being held by two players at the other end of the room and let out a guttural roar.
It was a weird celebration from Guirado in the sense that his playing career had ended earlier than anticipated on the night as he failed a head injury assessment following a 26th-minute collision with Castres captain Mathieu Babillot.
Guirado was capped on 74 occasions for France between 2008 and 2019. He spent nine years at Perpignan before switching to Toulon for five years and then signed for Montpellier for the 2019/20 season that followed his retirement from Test level rugby with France.
He was a Top 14 title winner in 2009 with Perpignan and waited 13 years to win the trophy again, this time with Montpellier who demolished Castres with a quick-fire three-try start at the Stade de France.
Il a un protocole commotion qui l'empêche de finir le match et le pelo va tt droit tête en avant sur le BOUCLIER ?
— MaxF (@mfnbe) June 25, 2022
Montpellier boss Philippe Saint-Andre was thrilled that Guirado had a winning farewell. “Very happy, yes. I’m also happy for Mohed Altrad. He was criticised a lot but invested a lot of his time and his money in this adventure. He had the courage to call me two years ago to get me back in the game.
“And then, I’m obviously happy for these guys who come from different backgrounds and who form a great entity with us: there are those who are at the end of their career, like Guilhem Guirado or Fulgence Ouedraogo, those coming from Pro D2 like Alexandre Becognee or those who needed to be revived like Bastien Chalureau or Florian Verhaeghe.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
54 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments