D’un côté, le patron de la touche. De l’autre, celui des attitudes au contact. Venus d’ailleurs, ils apportent une touche exotique qui plaît au staff montpelliérain.
It is often said that to make a group, you need a bit of everything. Painful players, calm ones, strategists, soldiers, leaders, hotheads… In a staff, the profiles are not as heterogeneous. But there are especially some great personalities.
At the MHR, Antoine Battut (41 years old) has a unique style. The Montpellier Mr. Touche sleeps, lives and talks touch. On the verge of obsession. “His expertise in this field is extremely interesting and important, recognizes his manager, Joan Caudullo. I think he brings a lot to the group, that he has very good ideas. He wants to develop our way of working.”
In addition to his coaching skills, Battut ticks the box of a former member of the club. Recruited by Fabien Galthié in 2014, the former third row trained in Toulouse spent three seasons in Hérault. Three seasons in the middle of the Jake White era, far from being the most virtuous in Montpellier's history. But the style of the South African coach had left its mark on Battut at the time. “We liked to go into touch, to play carried balls. You could feel the stadium rising when we took the penalty touch. I want us to find this identity again”, announced upon his arrival in November 2023, the one who was Yannick Bru's assistant at Bayonne (2020-2022). Since his debut at MHR, he has tried to instill this vision in the players.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000There is a good chance that he will stay with us for the next two seasons
If the Montpellier touchline is less conquering than the scrum, due to throwers who are not always precise, we must recognize its toughness on penetrating groups. In attack, as in defense. Rare are the moments when the Hérault maul suffers, many are the times when it progresses. The two tries scored in this area during the last day of Top 14 against Bayonne are proof of this.
Antoine Battut's work has also attracted some attention in recent weeks. At the end of his contract in June, he should finally extend the adventure for two seasons. “We talked a lot with him. When you work well, you want to continue. There's a good chance he'll stay with us for the next two seasons. He's an integral part of our project”, assures Caudullo.
Stanley, the touch of the South
Another who is appreciated in the staff is Benson Stanley (40 years old). He is the only “foreigner” in the staff since he has never worn the Montpellier jersey. Recruited in the summer of 2023 as head of defense in an unbalanced staff, he is now in charge of contact attitudes, ground zones. “He understands rugby, he is wired”, sighs a member of the management.
The former All Black (3 selections) also brings a different vision. His southern culture is appreciated. His phlegm, too. “He has a different way of understanding things, of communicating. He brings a lot to the rugby players. I think his vision is great. I force him to intervene on the videos on Tuesday and Thursday, precisely because he sees things that we, the French, don't necessarily see”, Caudullo says. Stanley, the exotic touch that the current staff needed.
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