Just before the press conference took place for the presentation of the Irish project and the takeover of the ASBH club at the Stade Raoul-Barrière, alongside Bob Skinstad, Andrew Merthens spoke about the contours of the takeover, the desires and ambitions placed in the Hérault club for the years to come. Confidences.
Andrew, who first had the idea of coming to Béziers for such a project in your circle?
I had talked about it with my friend Johnny Howard (former scrum half of the club who is an integral part of the recovery in the sporting aspect, Editor's note), for several years. I have always followed the club's results and its news, and since I returned to France some time ago, I have thought about what it was possible to do for this legendary institution in France.
What steps did you take to take the temperature and propose your candidacy for the takeover of the club?
I inquired and quickly saw that most of the conditions were met. This is the starting point of our action. Then, we had to have the means to financially organize our offer. The fact of already being taken seriously was important. About 15 months ago, the door was already open. I decided at the time that it was not worthy of the club to start at that time and here we are today.
The ideal place to invest in rugby
How did the discussions begin between you and the investors supporting you?
I contacted Bob Skinstad very quickly. He was looking for such a project although I was initially unaware of it. We quickly got closer to such a decision, and that rugby was ideal for fully investing in a strong approach. Bob was very quickly convinced by Béziers, its assets and its capacity for the future to invest ideally. I saw him delighted to be able to stay with us for the long term in a club which has such a history. There is a desire to find the elite and we have already worked on the ideas we want to put in place.
What will be the roles assigned to all the protagonists within the club?
Concerning myself, I will stay in Paris where I live. I will make sure to attend home and away games as often as possible. Bob will be in London or South Africa. He should spend more time than me in Béziers for the moment. The priority is to create links and seek partnership, whether in France or abroad. We will use our networks, the connections that we master in England, South Africa or New Zealand. We have to move the club forward. I will be in support whenever my services are needed.
What will be the first concrete measures you intend to take upon your arrival?
First of all, we are not going to fill the team with foreign players. We absolutely must rely on the training center. It's a tool that we need to use better in my opinion and that we need to ramp up. The project should allow us to introduce the region and the club to other spheres. Off the field, we think there is a lot to do. The town hall will support us and that is appreciated. What they did for 4 years is remarkable. Perhaps today we can aspire to do something greater, but the road is long and humility must guide us in our choices.
The Béziers club deserves to be exposed at the highest level
Do you plan to strengthen the team during the season and have you been able to take stock of the troops?
This is frankly not the idea of the moment, and no serious thought has been given to this subject. We focused on the recovery process above all, which was long. However, the time for analysis will arrive quite quickly. We don't want to change everything, the trajectory that I see today is working very well. Upsetting everything wouldn't make sense, we're here to do the best we can. We didn't buy a club to one day go to the Top 14 like that. If the club achieves a rise in the future, it will be necessary to be able to maintain it. But we are far from this consideration, everything in its time.
Eddie Jordan's name is often mentioned in the project, what will his role be and will you use his experience in sport and his network for the club?
He is an incredible person in his field. He is so serious in his approach, and his past speaks for him in Formula 1. His innovations are inspiring, and I can tell you that he loves rugby. We will rely on him, that’s obvious. On a daily basis, we won't really see him, but we count on him, on the business side, his advice on the management to be carried out because he has always been one step ahead in his professional life.
What ambitions do you want to formulate to date, after officially purchasing the ASBH club?
We want this club to return to the elite. It's no secret. An entire people just wants access to the Top 14 and this light. It's difficult, we know full well that we will have tough times. The Pro D2 championship is a marathon, you have to make sure to last accordingly. Béziers has an incredible history, it deserves to be exposed at the highest level to make this institution shine and I know what I'm talking about having played here for a few seasons. And who knows the team in place can give us another exceptional season.
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