DÉCEPTION À MONTPELLIER
By pitprop January 27 2008
The great thing about European rugby is the chance to visit places like France, Italy, Ireland and France (hey, I like France). Unfortunately, there are occasions when the trip is best remembered by ignoring a certain 80 minutes of the weekend. However, it's rugby we go for, so once again, pitprop dons beret, lights up a clove of garlic and reports...
The great thing about European rugby is the chance to visit places like France, Italy, Ireland and France (hey, I like France). Unfortunately, there are occasions when the trip is best remembered by ignoring a certain 80 minutes of the weekend. However, it's rugby we go for, so once again, pitprop dons beret, lights up a clove of garlic and reports...
For our third excursion into Europe for this season, the travellers headed off to the south of France (someone's gotta do it!) to Montpellier with its new municipal stadium. Stade Yves du Manoir is a purpose-built rugby venue holding around 12,500. It has a few bars around the back of the stands, but otherwise not too many facilities for supporters. The upper tribunes were pretty steep, and that's where we were perched, to the discomfort of a couple of our number. The stadium was just a couple of hundred off max, as the supporters turned out in droves to see their world cup hero Seabass. The free paper “Montpellier Plus” greeted us on the Friday with a picture of the hairy one in a French shirt, hands on knees and barnet awry, with the apt headline “Il arrive!”.
The evening was dry and warm, the turf looking pretty good. Youngsters, marshalled by their mascot Louis in his white Camargue horse outfit, formed a guard of honour as Schoey led the team onto the pitch for a vital game, which, if won, would give us a home quarter-final and a strong chance of a home semi. The previous time we'd been drawn against Montpellier was in the 97/98 season, when at the old Stade Sabathé we lost 12-30, winning the home leg 43-3. Back in November we had won the home leg this season 49-6 scoring six tries to nil, a score which was bound to have set the Montpellerians smarting, and looking to even the score. Even so, that score line should have injected confidence into the team.
Although Sebastien was out there, it was another player with a French sounding-name, Sharlay Hodgsonne, who got us under way. Sale put the pressure on to begin with, kicking to the corner with three penalties within the first five minutes, but Montpellier's defence was strong. The Herault club's pack wheeled our scrum left on each engagement, but a Scottish referee (McPherson), uneducated in the art of front row play, just let it go. Both sides had periods of pressure, Sale often pressurising Montpellier into mistakes, but making their own through inaccuracy.
On 26 minutes, Cueto kicked ahead from the 22. It was chased down by 3 Montpellier players who promptly went to ground to protect the ball. The ref gave a penalty against Sale for diving over, on the Sale 10m line wide on the right. Bortolussi's kick hit the bar, bounced out and was stopped by Lund. Seabass ran it out to the 22, but his offload was dropped by Lawson. Seven minutes later and Charlie kicked deep. The fullback could only clear to 20 metres, and Sale got the lineout. Lawson's throw found Schoefield at the front, but he was dragged down. Luke McAlister stepped up to take the kick, and landed the first points of the game.
From the kick-off, Seabass knocked on some 15m out from Sale's line. Montpellier took their put-in and the scrumhalf started left from the ensuing ruck. He slipped the ball inside to the No 6, Warren Britz (formerly of Squeaky's Mob) running close to the ruck to score just outside the right-hand post. Todeschini converted and Montpellier eased into the lead 7-3 after thirty seven minutes.
Two minutes later, as Sale were still exerting pressure from the kickoff, Lilo was caught at the back of a ruck by an offside Montpellerian. It was on their 10m line, on the right, and once again McAlister stepped up and goaled, closing the score down to 7-6.
Into injury time, and from touch on halfway on the right side of the field, Lawson hit Schoey again and Charlie kicked deep. Sarramea hoovered it up and launched a garryowen. Lilo caught it and slipped a pass to McAlister, who found himself free on the left, although with cover coming towards him. He promptly gave a masterclass in stopping the defence's drift with a couple of inward steps and scored in the corner almost unmolested. Unfortunately he couldn't convert his own try from wide out, but Sale left the field with a 7-11 lead, looking good to come out after the half time blistering to sew it up.
Sale played left to right in the second half, at least to those Sale fans high in the Eden Park tribune. The temperature was dropping slightly, and the crowd, who tried to amuse themselves with a wave in the first half, converted their free programmes to paper aeroplanes at the break, which rained down the steep seating.
Bortolussi restarted it for the French team, and the long range kicking game recommenced. Still the mistakes dominated the game, and Montpellier seemed to have taken more from the half time team talk, winning the contest on the gain line. The play lurched backward and forward for ten minutes. Montpellier were very aggressive with their defence, and were committing offenses around the ruck area to slow Sale's ball down. Corcho ran a kickable penalty back and was stopped about 10 metres out. Lawson was then caught in possession, and Sarramea was knocked over the ruck effectively sealing the ball off. Penalty to Sale and yellow card to Sarramea. McAlister knocked over the conversion, and the lead widened to 7-14.
The replacement game started then, and players came and went. Sale couldn't score again before Montpellier's errant winger made it back on to the field, and Montpellier switched on attack mode. From a thrust on the right, the Herault team were awarded a penalty. A quick tap and break towards the centre saw Cueto taking his man high, and the yellow card was waved again. Just over a minute later saw another break on the right with Montpellier's winger just forced into touch as he was grounding the ball. The home fans whistled the decision loud and long.
Montpellier wouldn't leave it, and when Lund knocked down a ball in midfield on the halfway, a kickable penalty loomed. Montpellier had other ideas, and Bortolussi kicked to the corner on the right ten metres out from Sale's try line. The Montpellerians drove the lineout, and Picamoles broke off attended by another of the back row players, and bumped and barged his way over through weak tackling for the score. Todeschini converted, and the score was tied up.
Montpellier were much more successful when they were faced with 14 players than we were, scoring a try and conversion. Sale attempted to come back, and from the kick off got the put in to a scrum. Bruno forced Montpellier to stand up, and the chance of a shot at goal came from five metres inside the Montpellier half wide on the left. Unfortunately McAlister pushed it left.
Cueto came back on with four minutes left to go. From a lineout Sale ran ball back at Montpellier with Lamont leading the charge. Charlie attempted a 30 metre drop goal from the ruck, but pushed it wide to the right. Picamoles was then announced as Man of the Match, eclipsing the caveman. As full-time approached Montpellier were again on the attack, with the Sharks frantically trying to turnover possession. They succeeded, with Charlie chipping through and taking the No 11 Kuzbik, into touch.
A final period of pressure ensued, with a break from Charlie being brought down about three metres out. Big Tam drove for the line, but Van Staden, the prop, deliberately went over the top to kill the ball, and was successful, particularly as the ref awarded Sale the put -in to a scrum 5 metres out. Montpellier stood up again, but the ref reset the scrum. Finally Sale won a penalty for Montpellier pulling the scrum down. Charlie, McAlister and Big Tam held a conference, and they opted for the penalty having run out of time. It was about 30 metres out from the line, wide on the right. McAlister stepped away to the left amongst the loudest whistling so far. The kick tipped the top of the right hand post. Other Sale spectators in line with the kick and post later confirmed that it went wide, but the ref took it off to the TMO (where would they be without that crutch). The goggle-eyed official ruled it out, and the game ended in a disappointing draw. Montpellier were delighted to have stopped the big English team in their tracks, and in the process qualified in eighth place, with a forthcoming trip to Wuss. As for us, well, we did advance to the quarter-finals, and we did get a home draw for it, against Thompson & Cohen's Brive-la-Gaillarde.
But the possibility of a home semi should we beat Brive has gone, and the possibility of a visit to Bath, going very well in the GP, for the semi, looms large.
The travelling fans were unusually subdued as we left our seats. Every one this correspondent spoke thought it a poor performance. Its not as if we did not know what was coming at us in the Camargue. The previous week's La Gazette de Montpellier asked the question ”Are our rugby players thugs?” referring to the red and 7 yellows already picked up this season by the Herault club. Little chance then that they would bend the knee to the big-spenders from rainy Stockport. Backed up by the remark that their 8 South Africans did not fear contact, and that's the least that could be said. You know what's coming with a team laced through with Jaapies – heavy-hitting, strong-driving forwards who know how to disrupt opponents. Among the selections against us were Todeschini, Bortolussi, Stoica, Sarramea and Britz, awkward and experienced customers all, who could make it very difficult for us. And yet seemingly we were not ready for the onslaught from these players.
The mental approach was not right. We have some stunning talent in our teams, men who have proved themselves at the highest level. Yet their heads were not right for this game, and the Herault squad won the mind games, then they won the collisions, and then they damned nearly snatched the draw away as well. Luke McAlister at the press conference apparently criticised both the travel arrangements which saw the team arrive reasonably late on the Friday, and the attitude of some of his team-mates. He spoke again on Rugby Club about playing together as a team, and putting that right. Seabass was extremely disappointed with the result and pointed to losing the collisions on Talking Sharks. Magnus Lund talked of sorting the problems among themselves out. Several fans spoke of it, and this reporter agrees, that there seems to be some division within the squad. What it can be put down, well your guess is as good as mine. What must happen, and quickly, is that any problems are sorted out. Team spirit must return to the squad as that's the only way we'll move forward.
Your correspondent called Montpellier “second rate” as we left the stadium, for if they'd been any better Sale would have sunk without trace. Montpellier's coach apparently agreed in the press conference (which I did not attend), where apparently he said that he had not put out a good team. We came and were seduced by the flamingo pink mirage of a home semi, were ambushed by the Camargue white horses, and trampled on by the black bulls of both the Camargue and the veldt.
(Déception = Disappointment, and left/right is as seen from behind Sale.)
The evening was dry and warm, the turf looking pretty good. Youngsters, marshalled by their mascot Louis in his white Camargue horse outfit, formed a guard of honour as Schoey led the team onto the pitch for a vital game, which, if won, would give us a home quarter-final and a strong chance of a home semi. The previous time we'd been drawn against Montpellier was in the 97/98 season, when at the old Stade Sabathé we lost 12-30, winning the home leg 43-3. Back in November we had won the home leg this season 49-6 scoring six tries to nil, a score which was bound to have set the Montpellerians smarting, and looking to even the score. Even so, that score line should have injected confidence into the team.
Although Sebastien was out there, it was another player with a French sounding-name, Sharlay Hodgsonne, who got us under way. Sale put the pressure on to begin with, kicking to the corner with three penalties within the first five minutes, but Montpellier's defence was strong. The Herault club's pack wheeled our scrum left on each engagement, but a Scottish referee (McPherson), uneducated in the art of front row play, just let it go. Both sides had periods of pressure, Sale often pressurising Montpellier into mistakes, but making their own through inaccuracy.
On 26 minutes, Cueto kicked ahead from the 22. It was chased down by 3 Montpellier players who promptly went to ground to protect the ball. The ref gave a penalty against Sale for diving over, on the Sale 10m line wide on the right. Bortolussi's kick hit the bar, bounced out and was stopped by Lund. Seabass ran it out to the 22, but his offload was dropped by Lawson. Seven minutes later and Charlie kicked deep. The fullback could only clear to 20 metres, and Sale got the lineout. Lawson's throw found Schoefield at the front, but he was dragged down. Luke McAlister stepped up to take the kick, and landed the first points of the game.
From the kick-off, Seabass knocked on some 15m out from Sale's line. Montpellier took their put-in and the scrumhalf started left from the ensuing ruck. He slipped the ball inside to the No 6, Warren Britz (formerly of Squeaky's Mob) running close to the ruck to score just outside the right-hand post. Todeschini converted and Montpellier eased into the lead 7-3 after thirty seven minutes.
Two minutes later, as Sale were still exerting pressure from the kickoff, Lilo was caught at the back of a ruck by an offside Montpellerian. It was on their 10m line, on the right, and once again McAlister stepped up and goaled, closing the score down to 7-6.
Into injury time, and from touch on halfway on the right side of the field, Lawson hit Schoey again and Charlie kicked deep. Sarramea hoovered it up and launched a garryowen. Lilo caught it and slipped a pass to McAlister, who found himself free on the left, although with cover coming towards him. He promptly gave a masterclass in stopping the defence's drift with a couple of inward steps and scored in the corner almost unmolested. Unfortunately he couldn't convert his own try from wide out, but Sale left the field with a 7-11 lead, looking good to come out after the half time blistering to sew it up.
Sale played left to right in the second half, at least to those Sale fans high in the Eden Park tribune. The temperature was dropping slightly, and the crowd, who tried to amuse themselves with a wave in the first half, converted their free programmes to paper aeroplanes at the break, which rained down the steep seating.
Bortolussi restarted it for the French team, and the long range kicking game recommenced. Still the mistakes dominated the game, and Montpellier seemed to have taken more from the half time team talk, winning the contest on the gain line. The play lurched backward and forward for ten minutes. Montpellier were very aggressive with their defence, and were committing offenses around the ruck area to slow Sale's ball down. Corcho ran a kickable penalty back and was stopped about 10 metres out. Lawson was then caught in possession, and Sarramea was knocked over the ruck effectively sealing the ball off. Penalty to Sale and yellow card to Sarramea. McAlister knocked over the conversion, and the lead widened to 7-14.
The replacement game started then, and players came and went. Sale couldn't score again before Montpellier's errant winger made it back on to the field, and Montpellier switched on attack mode. From a thrust on the right, the Herault team were awarded a penalty. A quick tap and break towards the centre saw Cueto taking his man high, and the yellow card was waved again. Just over a minute later saw another break on the right with Montpellier's winger just forced into touch as he was grounding the ball. The home fans whistled the decision loud and long.
Montpellier wouldn't leave it, and when Lund knocked down a ball in midfield on the halfway, a kickable penalty loomed. Montpellier had other ideas, and Bortolussi kicked to the corner on the right ten metres out from Sale's try line. The Montpellerians drove the lineout, and Picamoles broke off attended by another of the back row players, and bumped and barged his way over through weak tackling for the score. Todeschini converted, and the score was tied up.
Montpellier were much more successful when they were faced with 14 players than we were, scoring a try and conversion. Sale attempted to come back, and from the kick off got the put in to a scrum. Bruno forced Montpellier to stand up, and the chance of a shot at goal came from five metres inside the Montpellier half wide on the left. Unfortunately McAlister pushed it left.
Cueto came back on with four minutes left to go. From a lineout Sale ran ball back at Montpellier with Lamont leading the charge. Charlie attempted a 30 metre drop goal from the ruck, but pushed it wide to the right. Picamoles was then announced as Man of the Match, eclipsing the caveman. As full-time approached Montpellier were again on the attack, with the Sharks frantically trying to turnover possession. They succeeded, with Charlie chipping through and taking the No 11 Kuzbik, into touch.
A final period of pressure ensued, with a break from Charlie being brought down about three metres out. Big Tam drove for the line, but Van Staden, the prop, deliberately went over the top to kill the ball, and was successful, particularly as the ref awarded Sale the put -in to a scrum 5 metres out. Montpellier stood up again, but the ref reset the scrum. Finally Sale won a penalty for Montpellier pulling the scrum down. Charlie, McAlister and Big Tam held a conference, and they opted for the penalty having run out of time. It was about 30 metres out from the line, wide on the right. McAlister stepped away to the left amongst the loudest whistling so far. The kick tipped the top of the right hand post. Other Sale spectators in line with the kick and post later confirmed that it went wide, but the ref took it off to the TMO (where would they be without that crutch). The goggle-eyed official ruled it out, and the game ended in a disappointing draw. Montpellier were delighted to have stopped the big English team in their tracks, and in the process qualified in eighth place, with a forthcoming trip to Wuss. As for us, well, we did advance to the quarter-finals, and we did get a home draw for it, against Thompson & Cohen's Brive-la-Gaillarde.
But the possibility of a home semi should we beat Brive has gone, and the possibility of a visit to Bath, going very well in the GP, for the semi, looms large.
The travelling fans were unusually subdued as we left our seats. Every one this correspondent spoke thought it a poor performance. Its not as if we did not know what was coming at us in the Camargue. The previous week's La Gazette de Montpellier asked the question ”Are our rugby players thugs?” referring to the red and 7 yellows already picked up this season by the Herault club. Little chance then that they would bend the knee to the big-spenders from rainy Stockport. Backed up by the remark that their 8 South Africans did not fear contact, and that's the least that could be said. You know what's coming with a team laced through with Jaapies – heavy-hitting, strong-driving forwards who know how to disrupt opponents. Among the selections against us were Todeschini, Bortolussi, Stoica, Sarramea and Britz, awkward and experienced customers all, who could make it very difficult for us. And yet seemingly we were not ready for the onslaught from these players.
The mental approach was not right. We have some stunning talent in our teams, men who have proved themselves at the highest level. Yet their heads were not right for this game, and the Herault squad won the mind games, then they won the collisions, and then they damned nearly snatched the draw away as well. Luke McAlister at the press conference apparently criticised both the travel arrangements which saw the team arrive reasonably late on the Friday, and the attitude of some of his team-mates. He spoke again on Rugby Club about playing together as a team, and putting that right. Seabass was extremely disappointed with the result and pointed to losing the collisions on Talking Sharks. Magnus Lund talked of sorting the problems among themselves out. Several fans spoke of it, and this reporter agrees, that there seems to be some division within the squad. What it can be put down, well your guess is as good as mine. What must happen, and quickly, is that any problems are sorted out. Team spirit must return to the squad as that's the only way we'll move forward.
Your correspondent called Montpellier “second rate” as we left the stadium, for if they'd been any better Sale would have sunk without trace. Montpellier's coach apparently agreed in the press conference (which I did not attend), where apparently he said that he had not put out a good team. We came and were seduced by the flamingo pink mirage of a home semi, were ambushed by the Camargue white horses, and trampled on by the black bulls of both the Camargue and the veldt.
(Déception = Disappointment, and left/right is as seen from behind Sale.)
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