Top 14: Crisis-riddled Montpellier sack
coaches Nourault and Hyardet
03 March 2009
Free-falling Montpellier slipped deeper into crisis on
Tuesday with confirmation that the club’s coaching duo of
Didier Nourault and Alain Hyardet have been “relieved of
their duties”.
The
decision – confirmed by acting president Thierry Pérez
– follows a disastrous run of nine defeats in 12 games (in
all competitions) which has seen Montpellier slip to ninth
position in Top 14. The final nail in the coaches’ coffin
appeared to be Saturday’s 50-13 trouncing by Perpignan.
The
sacking of Nourault and Hyardet is the latest twist in a
disruptive season that is fast turning to farce.
It began
when Pérez
left his post as President in December to take up the
position of vice-president with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby
(LNR).
In his
place Philippe Deffins was quickly confirmed as Perez’s
successor and there was much talk about major signings for
next season with the club confirming it was in discussions
with high-profile players such as Sale’s Sebastien Chabal
and France captain Lionel Nallet.
It also
announced – somewhat prematurely it turned out – that its
emerging internationals such as Louis Picamoles, Fulgence
Ouedraogo, Julien Tomas and Francois Trinh-Duc had all
agreed new deals to stay at the club amid much hoopla
outlining a three-year plan to become Top 14 champions.
However,
all such optimism was subsequently blown out of the water
when Deffins – who also runs Belmonte, the club’s main
sponsor -
resigned after less than a month in
his post, citing unforeseen financial debts.
According to Deffins the club was heading for a €1.5m budget
shortfall, and needed to find an additional €250,000 to
cover the November signing of Australian lock Alistair
Campbell.
“I feel
deceived by someone who hid a lot of things from me,” said
Deffins after his resignation.
The net result saw Pérez
quickly drafted back in as interim president and the
possible signings of Chabal and Nallet vapourize. It also
emerged that Picamoles and Ouedraogo had merely given a
verbal agreement to sign new deals, and when the presidency
shenanigans emerged Stade Toulousain moved quickly to snap
up Picamoles, 22, on a four-year deal.
The club
was also forced to suspend former All Black scrum-half
Justin Marshall for refusing to go on as a late substitute
against Stade Toulousain, and he subsequently left to join
English club Saracens less than 48 hours after Deffins had
departed.
Since
then their on-field form has fallen away at an alarming
rate, leaving them ninth in Top 14 and 11 points adrift of
the race for Heineken Cup qualification.
Matters
came to a head following the weekend drubbing at Perpignan
and – according to reports in the French press - the coaches
were subsequently dismissed following a meeting of the Board
of Trustees on Monday evening, and a vote by the players on
Tuesday morning.
Nourault
has been first-team coach since 1999, while Hyardet has been
with Montpellier for the past three seasons.
“Friendship is one thing, but the reality and the ambition
of a club is another,” said Pérez.
He
further explained that the players had lost confidence with
the coaching duo and that they had approached Perez about a
breakdown in communication as far back as January 31
following the 23-14 home win against Dax.
Perez
said he delayed dismissing Nourault and Hyardet at the time
because he did want to compound the club’s problems
following the departure of Deffins less than two weeks
earlier.
Team
manager Denis Navizet – promoted during Deffins’ shot tenure
– will retain his position until the end of the season,
while Jean-Philippe Lacoste, Warren Britz and Didier Bès
will oversee training.
Montpellier – who have
lost six of their last eight Top 14 games – play host to
bottom of the table Mont-de-Marsan at the weekend.
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