FRENCH COLUMN
Christophe Urios will take charge at Top 14 side Clermont on Monday, after the “breathing space” afforded his predecessor Jono Gibbes following a come-from-behind Top 14 win over Perpignan on January 7 had enough oxygen to last a grand total of eight days.
Then Leicester rocked up at Stade Marcel Michelin for the third poolphase match of the Champions Cup, put 44 points on the board, headed home with a bonus-point win to sit third in Pool B level on points with Toulouse and La Rochelle, left the French side needing a win in Cape Town against Stormers to have any hope of making the knockout phase of the competition – and Gibbes' future was out of his hands.
His fix for the coaching staff following the departure of backs coach Xavier Sadourny two days after the home defeat to Toulouse – afirst in 20 years – by jerry-rigging his role into those of defence coach Jared Payne and skills coach Benson Stanley had garnered eight tries in two games.
But there was no hiding the fact Clermont, with their ambitions of being in the mix on two fronts at the end of all seasons, are 10th in the Top 14 with their Champions Cup ambitions – which were decided, one way or the other, yesterday in South Africa – on a thread. In short, they are far from where they want or expect to be.
Around breakfast time on the Monday after the Friday night Champions Cup defeat before, Clermont publicly confirmed Gibbes had been ‘relieved of his duties' – French employment law prevented them from sacking him. The players had heard the news only minutes earlier, having been instructed to attend a meeting at 7.30am that day. They knew something was coming, and it wasn't necessarily good.
It's the first time since 2004 that Clermont have changed coaches mid-season. It's a club that doesn't, normally, do the managerial merrygo-round thing.
“In view of the recurring difficulties in terms of the game played and the club's ranking in the Top 14 and Champions Cup, the President of the ASM has decided to put an end to the functions of Jono Gibbes at the head of the team. This decision to make a change is part of a context in which the ambitions still displayed by the club require new directions to be taken,” the club said in a terse, three paragraph statement.
“This decision is effective immediately, which means Jono Gibbes will not travel to South Africa for next Saturday's match against the Stormers.” It was later confirmed that Payne would take temporary charge of team affairs pending the arrival of a new head coach. His role will last for precisely one match.
Club president Jean-Michel Guillon said at a scheduled press conference before the Clermont squad flew out to South Africa that sacking Gibbes was, “the most difficult decision I had to make in my professional career”. Taking responsibility for his decision, he added: “The decision to part ways with Jono was difficult but necessary…I am convinced that it was the right decision, but I am not happy.”
Urios, who has been out of work since his departure from Bordeaux in November, quickly emerged as favourite for the now-vacant post. His appointment, on a deal through to 2025 with an optional additional year, was confirmed on Thursday lunchtime – a living, breathing, volcanic manager for the club in a region of France known for its extinct volcanoes.
His first few weeks will be interesting, as he beds in with the existingstaff and prepares for his first match as new boss at Lyon, ahead of games against two former clubs – Castres at home, and Bordeaux away.
At his most recent club, he will reunite with his former coaching team, who have stayed on at Chaban Delmas on an interim basis until a new coaching team, led by Yannick Bru and Thibault Giroud arrives in June. He has already tapped up two of them to join him at his new club – longtime backs coach Frederic Charrier, who followed him from Oyonnax to Castres and Bordeaux; and forwards coach Julien Lairle, who joined the team at Bordeaux in 2019.
Urios himself estimates that his new side will have to pick up at least 40 of the 55 remaining points available in what's left of the season if they are to finish in the play-off places. It's a tall order.
“If you are good at maths you will see we can't waste time,” he said at his first press conference at Stade Marcel Michelin on Thursday, while his squad and staff are in South Africa. “We have to reactivate a strong energy, a dynamic. That will be my job…to become a winning team again.”
