Rugby: Montpellier dismisses Bordeaux-Bègles and joins Castres in top 14 final

The MHR won against the UBB (19-10), Saturday in Nice, and will find Castres in the final of the French championship, Friday, June 24. The same poster as in 2018.

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The tears of Guilhem Guirado at the final whistle said a lot about the Montpellier deliverance. Winner of the Union Bordeaux-Bègles (19-10), Saturday June 18 at the Allianz Riviera de Nice, Montpellier will have the right to his revenge. The Héraultais will find the Castres Olympique (winner of Toulouse) in the final of the top 14, Friday June 24 at the Stade de France, four years after a first confrontation at this level of the competition concluded by an MHR defeat (29-13).

The @MHR_officiel is essential and joins @castresrugby in the #top14 final !! 🏆
#MHRUBB #Demiestop14 https://t.co/h67ji5zk5n

– CanalrugByclub (@Canal Rugby Club)

Since this unhappy final, the MHR has experienced complicated moments. On the verge of relegation for a large part of last season (finally finished at the 10 ^{e place), he has just confirmed his return to the top of French rugby and still targets his first title of champion of champion of champion France.}

“We never gave up”

“It’s pretty crazy because this group was fighting for maintenance last year, reported Benoît Paillaugue at the microphone of Canal+ after the final whistle. In sport, everything can happen quickly. We have Never gave up when it was complicated. We were keen to take everyone to Paris. Castres, it’s very very heavy. “

In a harsh and sometimes technically poor match, very chopped by the many penalties, Montpellier showed an impressive strength to bring down the union Bordeaux-Bègles which will long regret its second part of the failed season. Above all, the men of the owner and president Mohed Altrad found themselves a hero in the person of Gela aprasidze.

Coming into play at the 67 e minute, the 24 -year -old Georgian managed two penalties in the last ten minutes. The second, more than 50 meters, allowed his team to take shelter from a final Bordeaux test.

But anyway, the Montpellier defense was heroic throughout the match. She only conceded an essay by Matthieu Jalibert only on a billiards. The opening half taking advantage of a ball lost to flatten after a game at the foot for itself (10-10, 17 e ).

This essay put an end to a first quarter of an hour of madness opened by a beautiful corner of Montpellier Vincent Rattez (7-3, 7 e ). Above all, Bordeaux-Bègles has no longer managed to force the Hérault lock. Too often penalized in the face of the rough and rigorously organized defense of Montpellier, the UBB has never succeeded in registering the saving test, or at worst to pass a penalty or a drop.

the Drop ang up to date

Indeed, on the lawn of the Allianz Riviera, the Drop was fashionable on Saturday evening. Paolo Garbisi succeeded in the first of the game to dig a first gap (10-3, 13 e ) before being imitated by his teammate Anthony Bouthier just before the break (13-10, 40 ^{E ). On the Bordeaux side, Matthieu Jalibert and François Trinh-Duc both missed the target in this game phase, not so usual in rugby proposed in recent years.}

For the UBB, the adventure stops like last season at the gates of the final, which is still refused to it. “It is a disillusionment because the route stops there, regretted Matthieu Jalibert on Canal+. We did not find the key to put them in difficulty. Montpellier was stronger than us, they more wanted. To have ever been able to put our game in place, we did not deserve to go to the final. “

Last year, Bordeaux-Bègles bowed in the semi-finals against future champions, Stade Toulousain (24-21). Montpellier hopes for the same outcome of an already almost successful season. The logic of the Top 14 is in any case respected since the first of the regular season (Castres) will be opposed to its Dauphin (Montpellier) with the issue of 123 ^{e Brennus shield.}