Top 14 final: Montpellier v Castres
“You could imagine the thousands gathered before a big screen on a main square in Castres would be roaring their approval”
The Castres flags waved wherever you looked and those who held them at the Stade de France in Paris could barely believe what they were seeing. Especially in the closing minutes of an epic encounter with the favourites of Montpellier when Sitiveni Mafi, their Tongan lock, hurled his body towards the try-line for an astonishing 29-13 victory.
After improbable play-off wins over Toulouse and Racing, Castres imposed their giant-killing spirit once again.
A result which will not displease many in French rugby not too thrilled with Montpellier chief Mohed Altrad’s splashing the cash on foreigners, many of them South Africans.
In the end, it was Rory Kockott, a Castres recruit from that country, who was left kneeling on the pitch, tears of joy streaming down his face after beating his compatriots to the trophy.
He had his fly-half Benjamin Urdipilleta, man of the match with 19 points flowing from boot, had utterly outplayed men with bigger reputations as, against the odds, they claimed their second Top 14 title.
Castres boss Christophe Urios said before the game that it would be as tough a challenge as waging war against the Terminator.
On the grounds, one assumes, that Arnold Schwarzenegger would not really stand out if he was part of the monstrous Montpellier pack.
But there was no hint of science fiction in the 500 caps and counting shared among the battle-hardened Springboks, Kiwis, Fijians and, yes, the handful of Frenchmen opposing them. That was the reality facing Castres with ten times international appearances fewer in their more modest ranks.
Within three minutes, the opening Montpellier attack drew a penalty for offside. Incredibly, Ruan Pienaar, the normally dependable South African scrum-half, pulled his easy kick wide, thus betraying the nerves that can inflict finalists.
Castres made him pay when their rivals fell into the same trap and Argentine fly-half Benjamin Urdapilleta put his team ahead with a more difficult kick. Instantly levelled by a penalty from centre Frans Steyn.
Castres, the little town against their big city rivals, struck back with another penalty from Urdapilleta who quickly added another to extend the lead to 9-3.
Montpellier had been warned that Castres, just as they had done in their semi-final against Racing, could prove difficult to dislodge once they were ahead. A Steyn knock-on tended to confirm his team were ill at ease at this early stage.
You could imagine the thousands gathered before a big screen on a main square in Castres would already be roaring their approval. Especially when Pienaar declined a penalty in favour of Steyn who could not find the posts either.
A failure that looked even more costly when Urdapilleta scored his fourth penalty on the trot to put his outsiders’ nine points ahead. Pienaar finally brought some composure with a penalty of his own.
It was short-lived with Castres improbably besieging the try-line of opponents who had led the Top 14 for 21 out of 26 weeks without ever being outside the first two. Castres had finished sixth at the eleventh hour.
And they turned the world upside down again seconds before the break when scrum-half Kockott, lectured earlier by the referee for talking too much, produced a serious of passes behind the scrum that eventually sent full-back Julien Dumora – via centre Thomas Combezou – over the line for the game’s first try.
Urdapilleta, from a wide angle, kept up his flawless kicking exhibition to deliver an amazing 19-6 lead and give Montpellier’s Kiwi coach Vern Cotter, the former Scotland boss, a headache in his fifth Top 14 Final. He won the trophy with Clermont in 2010.
Urios told French TV at the break that Montpellier had not been used to mixing it with tough guys of late.
It was true that a powerful centre like Fijian Nemani Nadolo, who had scored 19 Top 14 tries, and a Kiwi flyhalf legend like Aaron Cruden had been virtually invisible at that stage.
Almost impossible to keep their giants asleep, however. With both teams at each others’ throats at times, Castres lock Loic Jacquet was yellowcarded to punish his team for successive foul play in front of their own line.
It was the almost inevitable pre- lude to a penalty try that relaunched Montpellier’s bid to win their firstever Top 14 title after losing the 2011 final a couple of weeks after their purchase by Altrad.
Castres responded with a prolonged attack with just 14 men, finally rewarded by another penalty from Urdapilleta that established a 22-13 lead 18 minutes from time.
Once again, Pienaar, hero of Montpellier’s heavy defeat of Lyon in the semi-final and former Ulster star, somehow contrived to miss yet another penalty. A real nightmare for him as he is thinking of returning to Northern Ireland.
Worse for Montpellier, centre Alexandre Dumoulin, another semifinal star, had to leave the field with suspected concussion.
But it was that kind of night for Castres, one that will live long in the memory of the locals.