Montpellier bank on Cotter and Cruden to bring fans back
Montpellier fans cannot wait to see All Black fly-half Aaron Cruden in their colours this season. They see him as the symbol of a renewal designed to attract them back to their stadium.
As they do the return of star forward Louis Picamoles after just one season in the Premiership with Northampton.
No longer will the Montpellier dressing room be dominated by the sounds of South African accents, including those of ultradefensive coach Jake Smith. Almost a third of their squad were from that country last season.
And those supporters who stayed at home rather than endure the trench warfare of recent seasons are expected to come flocking back.
Especially because, in the wake of Smith’s demise, Vern Cotter, the former Clermont boss fresh from transforming Scotland, has promised to take off the shackles.
The outcome of his new reign promises to be one of the most fascinating features of the Top 14 this time around.
And his French players have not been slow in signalling their pleasure in a clear change of direction.
French international Alexandre Dumoulin, for example, says: “As a centre, I am obviously looking forward to having a different style of play.
“Jake relied primarily on defence and told us we had to be good at that before thinking of attacking. What Vern Cotter is telling us is the complete opposite. We all admire what he did with Clermont and Scotland.”
The South African influence did bring Montpellier the European Challenge Cup the season before last.
But, behind the scenes, there was much resentment over his dismissive treatment of some French players. Perhaps the reason for Picamoles, a product of the club, packing his bags.
Certainly, it lay behind an angry outburst from captain Fulgence Ouedraogo who said the club had lost its soul in denying his Toulon-bound friend Francois Trinh-Duc a send-off before his own fans. Both men, like Picamoles, were brothers-in-arms from an early age.
No-one, however, put that rancour into words with as much force as scrum-half Charles Geli as soon as Montpellier’s season was over.
After playing a role as substitute in the play-off defeat by Racing, he said: “They put you on the sidelines and, all of a sudden, tell you: ‘ Go on now and be the best’. It is only in books that things happen like that.
“There was no French spoken, the video sessions were in English and the coach told us repeatedly and high-handedly that we French players were poor and they were going to explain to us what to do.
“I had more in common with our supporters than certain players I saw every day. I made less progress in rugby and more in English over two years when my idea was to do the opposite.”
Geli is still part of the Montpellier squad recast by 14 signings, nine of them French, including flanker Julien Bardy from Clermont as well as Picamoles.
One novelty is the inclusion of 14 players from their academy, 12 of them French, who train with the first team and accompany them on tour.
Smith, of course, might still have been in charge had it not been for his move to take the England job destined for Eddie Jones. He said: “I would have liked to have stayed. I brought numerous players to Montpellier, but I could not lie to my president. “When he asked me: ‘Do you want to manage England ?’ I said yes. I was not going to say no and I would do exactly the same again.” President Mohed Altrad, a man with the force of character to build a global business empire after being born to a Bedouin tribe, is not a man to cross. Previous manager Fabien Galthie was shown the door after a fall-out, though he did win half a million euros in court. The hiring of New Zealander Cotter could prove a masterstroke. He and his family have French nationality from his eight years with Clermont. And he has Scots Richie Gray and Nathan Hines as well as Englishman Alex King, the former Cler- mont and Northampton coach as staff.
They are clearly aiming to secure Montpellier the first Top 14 title in their history. That would be some achievement in a town known better historically for its football team.
Cotter, himself, aware that inspiring fans who have deserted in droves is a prime issue, said: “We would like people who do not know what to do on a Saturday afternoon to think: “Hey, there’s a game on at Montpellier. We will go there and enjoy it.”
World Cup-winner Cruden will be a key element of that project. At present he is involved with the Chiefs in the quarter-finals of the Super 15 play-offs. The final takes place on August 5.
Whatever his fate in that competition, he is going to need a break before making his Top 14 debut. Just as well then that Montpellier open up with two home matches against Agen and Oyonnax, the two promoted teams.
They could be off to a flying start before he even plays.
Montpellier supporters who stayed at home rather than endure the trench warfare are expected to come flocking back”