the ambitions of the new bosses of Béziers

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Owned by the municipality for several years, the club Béziers announced its official takeover this Thursday, November 7. Among its new owners, we find the old glories Andrew Mehrtens and Bobby Skinstad who took advantage of the announcement to establish their new ambitions: aim to climb to the Top 14 in the next three or four years.

The new ambitions of Béziers: the rise in 3 or 4 years

As the mayor of Béziers Robert Ménard recalled during the press conference, a rugby club is not intended to remain the property of the city. The politician thus displayed visible relief, satisfied to have found buyers with strong shoulders.

“Why did we choose these people? Because they have ambitions. This city dreams of a past that it would like to see combined with the present, this rise to the Top 14 that we all dream of. It’s not for tomorrow, but that’s the goal. Today, we have all the assets for success,” he said.

In his first speech, former All Blacks and ASBH fly-half Andrew Mehrtens echoed these words: “I did not anticipate, during the negotiations, how emotional the moment would be. It took a long time, more than a year, and it reassured us because we have to be demanding and you (the town hall, editor’s note) were. »

This requirement will now translate into new ambitions. With a form of measure, because the former number 10 knows French rugby well, but very real.

“It’s hard to give objectives because Pro D2 is a difficult competition. We will control what we can control, the club, the preparation. We haven’t set a date. We saw last season and we don’t want to lose the dynamic that was created. We are not going to put pressure on ourselves and say that it will be an increase in 2 years or 3 years, but as quickly as possible,” hopes Mehrtens.

Aiming to climb is one thing, staying in the Top 14 is something else, and the efforts to do so must be in place. Looking at cycles in sport, you can do a lot in three or four years. That’s not what we say, but if we are not in a position to think about the rise in three or four years, we may have failed. Which does not mean that it will be a failure, but we want to be in a position to do it during this period.

A smooth transition

For now, the new bosses of the ASBH nevertheless affirm that they do not want to upset a club which, for the first time in a long time, not only reached the final phase of Pro D2 last year but also recorded a financial profit .

“Obviously, we are committed not to reduce the budget, which is logical. We talked about an increase in the budget, whether over the next three years or further into the future. We will work for that but we cannot change everything, to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We are here to provide, we will analyze everything to spend our resources wisely,” continued the New Zealander in excellent French.

He also reassured that the Eddie Jordan consortium wanted to respect the local way of doing things: “I said that we were not here to change everything, but we are not here to create a club foreigner either. The club must remain from Béziers, remain French… I prefer Béziers! During my years here, we did everything in French all the time. We are going to remain a Béziers club, I don’t know if it should be specified but it is important for me. »

And besides, in the short term, apart from the arrival of Johnny Howard in the organization chart, nothing should really change. And this until the end of the season, barring any surprises.

“There will be no changes to the sporting sector immediately, we will take time for all that, it would not be a good thing to make changes to the team in the middle of the season. Even if we wanted to, which is not the case, it would not be the right thing to do. We have complete confidence in Pierre, it’s been great to see the progression of the team and the players with him in recent years,” congratulated Mehrtens.

However, giving a glimpse of the possibilities in the future: “If we can take advantage of our networks beyond borders, without filling the teams with foreigners, to find players that we would like to bring here, players who want to invest in a great project… It will necessarily require quality players, who do not monopolize too many resources and who will appreciate the history and culture of Béziers. If it can happen to have guys who come from South Africa, New Zealanders, Australians, taking advantage of our networks, it will be done by working with the sports staff. Pierre (Caillet, editor’s note) knows what he is looking for in a player, what he needs on the pitch, and this process is already in place. We trust and we are here to help. »

On an economic level, the club will also benefit from know-how which will not have much equivalent in Pro D2. “Eddie Jordan is a huge rugby fan. He has health problems at the moment but he is strong, he fights, just as much as he did during his successful career. We have great confidence in the incredible network he has built around the world and have already started talking to people interested in opportunities in the region,” said Bobby Skinstad.

The imperturbable sports sector

All this agitation, we must not lose sight of, has the sole aim of finally allowing the Béziers team to benefit from a financial base and a serenity which it has sorely lacked for many seasons.

However, trainer Pierre Caillet, even if he is satisfied that the stage of sale has finally been reached, appeared imperturbable after the press conference. It must be said that in Béziers, he saw others.

“I know what club takeovers or non-club takeovers can be. We are used to Béziers and we are hard-headed. We don’t focus too much on that. We didn’t wait for people to arrive to do our work. And now that they are here, we will continue to do it as usual,” he whispered in the aisles of the Raoul-Barrière stadium.

We’re not stressed about that, not at all. This team has grown through all its difficulties. It’s all that makes our group’s life. Today, whether it’s me or the group, we have no worries about what they put in place. Knowing the mayor, knowing a little about those who came, we know that the mayor is square, those who come too, they know rugby. It’s important. It’s not just anything.

On what this economic serenity will bring in the future, particularly in terms of recruitment, he prefers not to get carried away: “Who will manage, who will recruit, I believe that it is not important. The main thing is that the club moves forward, that people enjoy themselves at the stadium. Anyway, we know rugby. We played there, we trained there. There is no stress to be had. It’s our job and it’s our passion too. »

“When I resumed in 2021, the first objective was to reach the final stages in three years. It was the first project, first year difficult, second year difficult, third year, we succeeded. And over the three years, what do we want to do? It’s about being present as often as possible in the top 6 and reliving final phases or even more than a final phase. That is to say, going where we have not yet gone, in the final,” projects Pierre Caillet.

“Already, there is a project that is being built to try to find that again. And then, of course, with additional resources, perhaps this three-year project will turn into four, five years, with the ultimate goal of having the means to go up,” he hopes with great measure. .

One thing is certain, the months and years to come will not lack interest for Béziers supporters.

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