Pierre Caillet, the Béziers coach, clearly states his ambitions before challenging Colomiers this Friday evening at the Raoul-Barrière stadium.
In the shadow of the Raoul Barrière stadium, a bright destiny seems to be born, because the shift has been made. Like Yoann Richomme stuck in Charlie Dalin's sail in the Vendée Globe, the ASBH is within the desired passage times, in second place in a Pro D2 ranking which sees it asserting high ambitions. The reception of Colomiers, Friday evening at the Raoul-Barrière stadium, is symbolic in this respect: by challenging the seventh in the group, Béziers has the opportunity to drive home the point and almost officially ensure its place in the top six, folding seat for the final stages. But, learning from their last season, the “red and blue” are looking higher than the first stage of the rocket and are clearly aiming for direct qualification for a semi-final at home.
We must see implicitly the lesson of their elimination (27-21) in Vannes in May 2024 and the subsequent declarations of coach Pierre Caillet, who had displayed, despite the defeat, incredible confidence in his group to the 2024-25 season. We are there and, between arrogance and intimate conviction, the results have been decided: the ASBH is indeed in its place, carried by a multitude of positive signals which the recent affairs * have visibly not altered. Let it be said: the pirates are boarding again. “I like this image”affirms Pierre Caillet, serene and conquering. Selected pieces. Cash, as always.
ASBH- Colomiers, key to qualification?
“We cannot be satisfied with this match to seek a qualifying place. The championship is very tight and some teams are coming back strong. Winning would be a good step but, sincerely, I am wary of this match because they are a team which we routed at home (40-44 victory) At the end of the match, we even thought we were in Béziers in the stadium. I imagine they still have that in their heads. We have revenge. already lost two matches at home, we know that all the matches are hung up and Colomiers has not yet lost in 2025, it is one of the best attacks in the championship, very aggressive in addition.
Pierre Caillet can play the cautious card, the figures show that in the event of success in Colomiers, the break would almost be over. Nine points now separate the two teams. It smells good with thirteen days to go. Barring any huge surprises, ASBH should finish in the top six. Yes, but where?
The first two places, the ultimate goal?
“We built this group. And when you build something, you want something stable and solid. Last year, for me, it was the first part of things that we could succeed in. I was convinced after our elimination against Vannes (27-21 in semi-final) that by improving the team and our working methods, we would be on the right track, even if it was not obvious.
We discussed a lot with the players about the case of irregular teams, which could win something on a one-shot and disappear the following year. I didn't want that. Maybe some say we're a surprise, but we know we're not a surprise, because we built this team in difficult times. We had to fight against the fact of being full, of having had a good season. Today, the important thing is to continue building to be stable in this type of championship.”
This is the fear of the Biterrois: to shine without a future, like a meteorite. Confirming at all costs would be equivalent to qualifying a second time in a row for the final stages, which only the Grand Béziers of the seventies managed before them.
“We want to write our history. We know that this club has a historic past, that it has won titles, things that we will never be able to do. But we have the desire to qualify for a second season at all costs. Internally, we have this fire to always be better and to be better is to reach one more step. So it is perhaps not to finish in the first two but if we go there. final… We want to go to the highest level.”
We cannot blame the club's coach for hiding his game. The ASBH openly presents itself as a candidate for the title, with a two-point advantage and a place in the ranking compared to last season after seventeen days (3rd, 49 points against 2nd, 51 points this season). The difference is minimal but, the closer Béziers gets to Everest, the more he will have to control the event.
Is the game there?
“Last year, we had so many good moments in terms of the game. It's difficult to achieve something that sometimes seems surreal to you, it's so well done. Today, we're achieving things a little I think above all that we have a balanced game, especially between attack and defense. We are doing what we want to do, even if we are less efficient in certain sectors, like the touchline.
Gaming ambition goes with convictions. It also comes from the construction of your squad, the qualities of your players, because you may want to play Rugby, but sometimes you can't. There, ambitions really come through an exchange. And when you see that things are shared, it's crazy… Strategically, we share everything, I have this relationship with my players. This is how I explain our success: everyone is fully behind it, no one asks superfluous questions.”
-“Our experienced players want to contribute something and feel good about the project. Some say that we have become a retirement home, but we are talking about players who have become adopted residents of Béziers. They live the city , the territory, the entity, they live all this with a lot of passion. It’s impressive. My greatest luck was also finding a human connection with powerful leaders. There will inevitably be periods of downtime, but today. “Today, everything goes through them.”
If in other clubs the president presides, the coach coaches and the players, in Béziers, the relationship between the manager and his group testifies to an extremely rare fusion at this level. Because they have gone through so many hardships together over the past four years, they have forged a story that belongs only to them. Which will perhaps end in apotheosis, a tribute to the end of the career of pillar Francisco Fernandes.
Could Pierre Caillet leave Béziers next year?
“I'm “red and blue”, I don't have an answer to give to that, I'm only interested in my team. We'll see if with a new buyer, they still want to keep me, unfortunately, I don't I don't feel like it's a topic of discussion. I'm doing what I have to do. When you do things well, you usually always have positive things happening. the present. I am red and blue and I would like to stay that way. Because I haven't finished my work.”
When it's blurry, is there a wolf? Pierre Caillet himself assures: his future is dotted for the moment. If his name has been circulating around Montpellier, the coach assures that he has the heart of Béziers and would like to stay that way. The ball is in the camp of the buyers and their British mentor, Eddie Jordan.
Can the takeover of the club change everything?
“I was at the training center when I took my job just after the Emirati episode (2020), in an extremely complicated period. The club was in explosion, I was placed there because there was no had no solution. Since the Emirati era, every year I hear that a buyer is coming. So today, my only concern is to build my team. That's why I take players who have. the identity of Béziers, because we have a certain character And above all, they don't give me food.
A state of mind summed up by this “punchline” from Gabin Lorre: “Here, we have a pirate side”. An image forcefully claimed by Pierre Caillet, in a “alone against all” mode. And they assume.
“Yes, we took this pirate flag. Already, for our offensive ambitions, because we like to attack, to be in response, in ambush. It expresses the Béziers mentality, made of revolt, of resistance. Sometimes, we are not beautiful , but we're getting there. We're not like the others, we're different. I've been told a lot that we're not going to get there. it's “The Well, the Bad and the Ugly”, and we are Tuco!”
Have extra-sporting matters impacted the group?
At the start of the season, three-quarter center Taleta Tupuola and second row Hans Nkinsi were accused and convicted of domestic violence, while Samuel Marques, suspected of inappropriate behavior towards a hostess during the last “Rugby Night” , was not sanctioned.
“These stories have inevitably affected the group, because we have a united and honest group. These matters are not acceptable, that's very clear. We discussed it at length together. I believe in the second chance that we can give to certain people. When a person makes a mistake, that doesn't sum up their entire being. So I believe in rehabilitation. We know that these people have sinned, we haven't accepted it either. So we got together and we had it. voted Despite what they did, the vote was positive for both players. It doesn't mean that we condone it, but if one day I do something stupid, I would like someone to hand it to me. hand. It's simply called humanity.
I am here to protect my players. My goal is not to hide things from the justice system – it is doing its job – but I am in my role when I try to ensure the stability of my group, and I am criticized for it. But I am a protective person. I try to believe in certain things, but after a while, even if I say that, I feel like I'm a bastard. So we're charting our course.”
