Montpellier (AFP)
Montpellier relaunched itself in the race for the quarter-finals of the European Cup by getting back in pain with the victory against Gloucester (30-27), Sunday on the 2nd day of the European Cup.
The team of Xavier Garbajosa can nevertheless feed regrets because it takes only four points in a meeting she has long mastered. The expulsion of the second line of South Africa Jacques du Plessis (55th) disabled her in a crawling end game.
A week after missing out on Connacht (23-20), the weakest of the Irish provinces, the MHR reacted in part to get its first win and grab second place in Group 5, four points behind. of the Toulouse leader whom he will visit on December 8th.
Montpellier tamed at first the English, deprived of their master to play Danny Cipriani, to register three tests, especially around his ultra-domineering melee. Beyond the first test completed by South African center Jan Serfontein (22), after an attack off and a service of winger Yvan Reilhac, the MHR made the difference before the break thanks to his third line center Caleb Timu (34th) and the inevitable Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo, back from injury (40 + 2), both put on orbit by the forwards.
Apart from a failure in touch, in the absence of Nicolaas Van Rensburg, and an oversight in defense (37th), the Herault had left only crumbs to the English. But then everything went wrong.
Faithful to his playing habits, Gloucester regained control of the game in the second half, boosting the game, playing all the balls off and suffocating the MHR.
Taking advantage of his numerical superiority, following the exclusion of Jacques du Plessis (55), culprit of an elbow-worthy international Sebastien Vahaamahina in the quarter-final of the Blues against Wales, the English came back on the heels of the MHR. They scored two tries by back Matt Banahan (46th) and scrum half Joe Simpson (75th).
It took two penalties for the scrum half and captain Benoît Paillaugue to secure a short victory for a recovering MHR, which is his second win in only eight games. Everything has to be done.
© 2019 AFP