“I fed them up a bit with the maintenance”: the reaction of Joan Caudullo and the players of ASM Clermont – MHR

MHR manager Joan Caudullo appeared at a press conference after Montpellier's victory in Clermont (18-22) this Saturday, December 28.

You repeated that this match against Clermont was a test. What do you think at the final whistle ?

We are happy because at the end of the first half, I thought it had been tough. We could have taken more points. I have the feeling that, when we are in their camp, we are still a little sterile.

In the second half, we were totally in the strategy and it paid off. They put up a real fight against a team that, at this level, is still very very strong. Honestly, the players, it's exceptional, what they did today.

Also read: “My problem was my head”, “I cried at the end”: Stuart Hogg's words after MHR's victory against ASM Clermont

We have the feeling that you were the ones who dictated the pace…

That's it, yes. We knew that if we won this showdown, we wouldn't be far behind. We had to be cool throughout the match, which we did. We took a penalty returned at the end of the first half. Then, we controlled the game, which is what allowed us to make as few mistakes as possible. Today, we do less than usual (9 in total). And that is a very positive point today.

Can we say that you have gained a psychological ascendancy over this Clermont team ?

That’s what we want to put in place, even if the scrum was a little difficult. We knew that the Clermont team lacked stability in that sector and we had trouble dominating. But our defense was heroic. We were afraid of line errors.

There are really some very positive points. Afterwards, you have to look at it calmly. But winning here, I think it’s a very good performance.

What did you think of Stuart Hogg’s game, capable of being penalized unnecessarily, like passing 50-meter penalties ?

Stuart is a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We know that he is an exceptional player. He brings us a lot on and off the field. Then, there is him, there are the others too. The guys who came in really brought something to each of them.

Lucas Tabarot, who is 20 today, is making a great comeback. There are really some very positive points. Afterwards, now we have to beat Bayonne to validate this away score.

That could allow us to get closer to this sixth place which, today, is starting to be an objective in our heads.

“They've been struggling for a year, a year and a half”

What is your assessment at mid-season?

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It's always difficult to say because we have one more away game. We'll take stock at the end of January when we travel to Toulouse, to find out where we stand and what we're playing for.

I've talked a lot to the players about staying up since the start of the season. I've been boring them a bit with it, but I've continued to do it to piss them off. Today, and for a few weeks now, since the La Rochelle match (16-0), the mindset has changed. They told me they didn't want to play for staying up this season. I am very happy to play for something other than survival.

From the outside, the atmosphere seems good in the locker room…

We can feel it, yes. But we have to be careful about the good atmosphere. It has to be transformed on the pitch.

We had two days to prepare, like the other teams. The players immediately bought into the project we wanted to implement in Clermont. We immediately gave the line-up, some players were notified just after the victory against Racing so that they could prepare. It's a gamble that paid off.

I'm very happy for the players. They've been struggling for a year, a year and a half. It was complicated. When you were two minutes away from being in Pro D2… Today, they're rewarding themselves. I'm happy to share this with them. With a state of mind, you can do great things. If we want to validate all that, we have to beat Bayonne.

Other reactions

Florian Verhaeghe, 2nd line of the MHR

“We knew it was going to be very tough. They are a very good team. I think they are in a good dynamic. So are we. We played our cards to the fullest. Our defense, in the DNA of the club, is something that has been present for a long time. We had some failures."

Thomas Ceyte, 2nd row of ASM

"We knew exactly what to expect and they did exactly what was expected. We never managed to distance themselves from them in the score. A team like that, with a lot of experience, combined with our clumsiness a little in touch and in the game, çmade this result. They got their hands on all the balls. Impossible to put speed.
Sometimes, a bit on the limit. But out of sight, out of mind. Well done to them."

Christophe Urios, ASM manager

"We can say that I felt it coming, and for a while now… We lacked a bit of everything to win, especially commitment. The only situation where we committed was the last one. I found us nervous, different from other matches. The conquest was dominated in the second half, we were beaten on the ground, our kicking game was not good. There were so many things missing to win. They won with their strengths, they are a difficult team.

I expected a match like that but I thought we were going to win it. It's a blow to the head, we have to go back to the fight on Monday morning. The disallowed try at the start of the second half hurts us too. It's a big disappointment, for my preparation but also for what we did in this match. Everything came together to play a good match but we didn't manage to get out of what Montpellier offered us. We were too fragile.”