That was almost a year ago.
On January 4, 2021, the president-owner of the MHR, Mohed Altrad, decided to dismiss his head coach, Xavier Garbajosa, and replace him with Philippe Saint-André.
The former coach of the XV of France had yet sworn that he would no longer train.
He served as the club's sports patron, taking care of recruitment, supervising training and tackling more administrative tasks.
To discover
Calendar and results Top 14
Ranking Top 14
But, faced with the gravity of the situation - Montpellier was then relegated and sank a little more into the crisis each week - PSA perjured itself.
He put on his tracksuit again.
And the club on the right track.
A stormy end of the season (ten victories in a row), a place in the elite saved and a coronation in the European Challenge (the "small" European Cup), just to fill the list.
"We are third but above all we are very humble"
Philippe Saint-André
He also said that this return to work as a coach would only be temporary. The time to save the Hérault club. New perjury. He is always at the edge of the field. Pleasure rediscovered, passion returned. "Blossoming", relishes Mohed Altrad. And success at the rendezvous. After a mixed start to the season (3 wins, 4 losses), his team found its way, regained its momentum. Montpellier presents itself this Monday (kick off at 7 p.m.) in Biarritz with confidence replenished by five successes in a row in Top 14. For a good 3rd place in the championship standings, just behind the two favorites, Stade Toulousain and Bordeaux- Begles.
What nurture greater ambitions?
"We are third, but above all we are very humble", boot in touch Saint-André.
With his experience, he is not going to fall for it.
To proclaim loud and clear that the time has finally come to realize the dream of Mohed Altrad, who has invested money lost for ten years (100 million euros injected into the club) to finally offer a first shield of Brennus to the club in bloom cistus.
An almost perfect balance in the workforce
The signals are nevertheless favorable. His team shows its unity, its solidarity. Recites a score that has fewer and fewer false notes (the arrival in the staff of the former international referee Alexandre Ruiz, for example, significantly improved the discipline). And the workforce presents an almost perfect balance between French headliners (Paul Willemse, Mohamed Haouas ...), foreign players with high added value (the South Africans Cobus Reinach, Handré Pollard and Jan Serfontein), judicious reinforcements (the young Italian opener Paolo Garbisi, center Geoffrey Doumayrou…) and local players, young and old (with the emblematic Fulgence Ouedraogo as the figurehead).
What to aspire to end the year 2021 in style on the lawn of Biarritz Olympique, promoted in difficulty and red lantern of the Top 14. "A 6th victory in a row would validate a more than positive half of the season", admits, at the end of the lips, Philippe Saint-André.
Who knows that it will become more and more untenable for the MHR to hide ...
