It’s not yet the final victory, but the result is already satisfactory for Montpellier. Winners of the second Top 14 semi-final in Nice, against Bordeaux (19-10), Saturday June 18, the Héraultais did not hide, after the meeting, their joy of finding the heights of rugby French after several difficult seasons.
“It’s a first final for many of us, it’s something quite huge”, reacted Anthony Bouthier in the mixed zone. The one who was one of the great scorers of the evening was above all pleased with the ability of his team to surprise and continue to advance: “We thwarted the forecasts, it’s a bit made for that, by the way (laughs). We stayed focused on ourselves, it’s true that we didn’t talk a lot about us, that has given strength. We have worked well in the last two weeks, as since the start of the season.”
The season has been full of twists and turns for the people of Montpellier, who have had a period of crisis and a good series of victories, to give themselves the means to go to the end, or almost. A state of mind hailed by Benoît Paillaugue: “We had extra soul this season, we never gave up, we always gave everything.” The group has learned the lessons of a delicate 2020-2021 exercise (10th place) to put itself on better track this season. “We learned the lessons from last season, which was difficult,” continued Paillaugue. “We didn’t betray each other when it was hard, we didn’t shoot each other in the leg, we always tried to find solutions.”
An essential state of mind to return to the highest level, again applied during the victorious semi-final, and also welcomed by the staff. “In a close, difficult match, we were true to ourselves, like what we have been doing since the start of the season”commented Olivier Azam, one of the coaches of the group. “On the pitch, I saw guys who want to do battle for the shirt, for the club, for the city”added manager Philippe Saint-André.
And players don’t want to stop there. “We don’t go to the final to play well and lose, we go there to win”, assured Anthony Bouthier, who is already looking towards the Stade de France. A success expected by an entire club to definitively endorse the return of the MHR, which would win the first title in its history, among the greatest.