Stage fright tracks Montpellier. His failed endings have pursued him since the start of the season like a dreadful syndrome and eventually made him crack.
Yesterday, the missed penalty twelve minutes from the end by scorer and opener Anthony Bouthier froze the blood of Montpellier, suspended all initiative and brought bad reflexes to the surface. “When Anthony Bouthier misses the penalty to give us an eight point lead (19-14, NDLR), we start to look at the lawn. We take back penalties, we become unruly again, we get rid of the ball and we no longer play rugby “, recalls Philippe Saint-André, as annoyed as he is helpless.
Four minutes later, everything is linked upside down. Montpellier concedes a penalty on the halfway line. The back Julien Dumora finds a touch in the 22 meters. After several playing times for the forwards, the 3rd line Ma’ama Vaipulu, entered during the game, scored the second try in Castres.
The encouragement in the gallery freezes, the stadium sinks into silence. Montpellier no longer responds. “We wanted to keep the score until the end. When you’re in the red zone, you know it’s complicated”, testifies Serge Darricarrère, the Tarn trainer. Castres did it. Like Brive, Toulouse, Bordeaux or Pau. They all spread the word, Montpellier remains with its headaches. And this stage fright that makes him crack.
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