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Montpellier Sack Second Head Coach as They Narrowly Avoid Relegation
(June 18, 2023 | BBC Rugby Union)
In a tumultuous season for the 2022 Top 14 champions Montpellier, the billionaire-backed club has sacked a second head coach after narrowly escaping relegation.
The campaign began with former England assistant coach Richard Cockerill at the helm, but after a disastrous start to the Top 14 season, he was shown the door in November 2023. Disgraced ex-World Rugby vice chairman Bernard Laporte was then brought in as the team’s new director of rugby.
In a last-ditch effort to turn their fortunes around, Laporte recruited the polarizing figure of Patrice Collazo, who had just been sacked by Brive. However, Collazo’s tenure was short-lived, as he has now confirmed his dismissal after “fulfilling” his mission of keeping the club in the Top 14.
Collazo’s assistants, Vincent Etchetto and Christian Labit, are also set to depart the club after joining him in November 2023. The head coach role is now vacant, and Montpellier’s billionaire owner, Mohad Altrad, is reportedly considering a gamble on two young coaches and club legends, Joan Caudullo and Benoît Paillaugue, to take the reins for the 2024/25 season.
“If you take my last 12 months, it’s been a crazy experience. As a coach, I went through all the phases. It was very testing, we had the destiny of a club in our hands.” – Patrice Collazo
It has been a rollercoaster campaign for Montpellier, who narrowly avoided relegation by defeating Grenoble in the Access Match. Collazo reflected on the experience, saying, “If you take my last 12 months, it’s been a crazy experience. As a coach, I went through all the phases. It was very testing, we had the destiny of a club in our hands.”
With the coaching changes and the need to rebuild, Montpellier will be hoping for a more stable and successful 2024/25 Top 14 season as they look to reclaim their position as one of the top teams in French rugby union.
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