Montpellier finally wanted to win an opening match after five successive failures and start its season, it’s done but the champions of France 2022 were well helped by the Rochelais who were out of realism.
The start of the match was boring, the fault of two teams who didn’t really take any risks. On the one hand, the MHR wants to reassure itself and redeem itself from eleventh place last season, far from the standing of a defending champion. On the other, La Rochelle, deprived of its backbone retained with the Blues and its usual large carriers (Atonio, Skelton, Alldritt, Danty, Botha etc.) is closing ranks. Suddenly, it is the defenses that take over.
Montpellier quickly lost track and multiplied the faults, which Leyds took advantage of to score the first try on a ball lost by Tisseron. Even if they only line up a single rookie at kick-off – Australian international hooker Tolu Latu – Richard Cockerill’s team does not find the fluidity in their game to chain playing times, unlike the Maritimes who take the initiative.
The MHR made the difference in the second half
But fortunately for the MHR, the European champions are clumsy and spoil what prevents them from widening the gap like a bad transmission between Lespiaucq and Cancoriet when the test seemed very close, or West in failure on two penalties.
The MHR remains within range and will take advantage of the opponent’s clumsiness to come back to score just before the break on the first offensive action of its three-quarters with Darmon at the conclusion (10-10 at halftime).
This wakes up the 2022 French champions who make the difference as soon as they return from the locker room with a try by Karkadze which has just come into play in place of the very sanctioned Latu in the first period.
Defensively too, the Montpellier residents are not giving up. La Rochelle camped in front of the line and insisted in their usual style but it was Bécognée’s teammates who won the showdown even if they lost their Canadian second line Duguid (yellow card, 54th) in the battle.
The Rochelais did not materialize on their highlights but they will return to the game thanks to the young Nathan Bollengier who has just come into play who counters a kick from Serfontein and will flatten. The European champions believe in it again and get their hands on the ball but continue to waste too much by lacking patience. Opposite, Louis Carbonel demonstrated realism and ensured 100% on foot to offer victory to his team.
