Karim Ghezal is preparing to enter a rare category: that of technicians who started a Top 14 first leg on the bench of one team and who finished it on that of another. Head coach of Stade Français at the start of the season, landed by the Parisian club on September 30, appointed to the same functions in Lyon on December 6, he will lead his first match under his new colors on Sunday evening at the reception of the Toulouse stadium.
It is customary to say that things go quickly for coaches working in the elite. But it is also valid in their ability to bounce back after failure. Long before Karim Ghezal, other technicians experienced such rapid rebounds. Ousted in November 2022 from his position as manager at UBB, Christophe Urios signed with Clermont at the start of 2023. Even more dazzling, Patrice Collazo signed on with Montpellier, as head coach in November 2023, a week after having was dismissed from his position as manager at Brive. Other examples exist. But these precedents are enough to raise a question: do club presidents show conservatism, or even reluctance, when appointing the man capable of taking on the role of manager or head coach?
“Yes, they are cautious”, agrees in the preamble Miguel Fernandez of the Wasserman agency, which counts in its “catalogue” the vast majority of managers currently working in the Top 14, before putting forward a draft explanation: “But it It’s because they have an identikit for this type of position who looks a lot like guys who have already done the job. – 1. Someone who has had field experience. – 2. Someone who is able to manage the coaches and able to be accountable for the project in the medium term. »
High-sounding names
At the head of the Top 14 clubs, there are almost only high-sounding “names”. Who for some have had a succession of positions: Pierre Mignoni (Lyon, Toulon), Franck Azéma (Clermont, Montpellier, Perpignan), Yannick Bru (Bayonne, UBB), Christophe Urios (Castres, UBB, Clermont), Laurent Labit (Racing, Stade French), Jeremy Davidson (Brive, Castres). When positions become “vacant”, the same CVs, pushed by Wasserman, most often reappear.
Majority is not law. Presidents have “dared” something new. Juan Caudullo is at the head of Montpellier, after having taken care of the training center and the forwards, and Grégory Patat is manager of Aviron Bayonnais while he was “only” responsible for the La Rochelle forwards before. But the devil is in the details: above the first named is Bernard Laporte as director of rugby in the Montpellier organization chart, and, despite the results of the second in the Basque Country, Philippe Tayeb is in the process of adding him Laurent Travers to create a more media-friendly figurehead.
Ultimately, while awaiting the promotion of Xavier Sadourny to head of the CO next season, only Sébastien Piqueronies, at the Section Paloise since 2021, appears to be an authentic novelty. “And again, Seb held the same functions at the FFR where he was in charge of the under-20s,” nuance Miguel Fernandez, who insists on making the distinction between sports directors (managers) and head coaches. “The first is responsible for the club’s project over three or five years. The head coach is accountable for results week by week. The sports director must delegate and know his product: rugby. If you have zero experience in this area, it’s complicated. »
The same for four or five years
The argument draws a boundary that is difficult to cross. But it is audible, says Didier Nourault, president of TechXV, the union of professional coaches: “Fortunately there is a slight premium for experience. […] We ask a lot of managers. They affect both financial management and human resources. »
Responsibilities that come with a price. According to a study carried out on behalf of the League last season, the average remuneration of a manager was 300,498 euros per year. “We are in high-pressure jobs that require experience,” argues Didier Nourault. “A Stuart Lancaster (Racing) arrived from abroad with a big CV. But Ronan O’Gara had never been a manager before taking up his position at La Rochelle. If a new one comes along every four years, that just seems normal to me. »
Miguel Fernandez agrees with this deadline: “For four or five years, we will see the same people. And afterwards, we will have the generation of “forty-somethings” who will have taken up head coaching positions which will have sufficient depth on the managerial side for there to be new faces. » In the meantime, the same game of musical chairs could continue.
