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Reputation for Speaking Freely
Bernard Laporte, the rugby director of Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR) since mid-November, visited the offices of Midi Libre on Wednesday, January 10, to meet with readers. Here is a selection of his best quotes.
« Social Media is for fools »
When asked about the criticism he receives on social media, the rugby director of MHR said he doesn’t pay attention to it. « Social media is for fools, and I’m not one of them. The day I start writing about others, I won’t do anything anymore, » he added.
« There aren’t many funny guys on the team »
Arriving at the club in mid-November, Laporte found a struggling team with low morale. « When you lose five matches in a row, there aren’t many funny guys on the team. Everyone looks at each other and nobody understands, it’s complicated, » Laporte explained.
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« Everyone should think about survival when they wake up in the morning, » Bernard Laporte’s reaction after MHR’s defeat
« It’s the consolation prize of boules »
Has the Challenge Trophy helped Montpellier turn their season around? « It’s the consolation prize of boules, and maybe not even that. We play against the underdogs, the guys who didn’t qualify for the major competition, » the former Federation president sarcastically commented. « It becomes interesting from the quarter-finals, but it mostly helps us regain some momentum. »
« Establishing Rugby as a Major Sport in Montpellier »
Having previously been involved with Toulon, where rugby is regarded « like a religion », Bernard Laporte also discussed the place of rugby in the city of Montpellier. « In Montpellier, there is a great handball team, a football team, a volleyball team… and that’s a great strength, » the former French national team coach explained. « But we need to establish rugby as the major sport. It’s a healthy competition, it’s not a given, but rugby exists. There were crowds when we played against Toulon. Of course, we would like to have 15,000 supporters at every match, 10,000 subscribers… everyone dreams of that. But in order to interest people, we need to win. » Now it’s up to us…
