The Auvergne club, out of results, formalized the arrival of the former coach of Castres and UBB, replacing Jono Gibbes.
ASM Clermont Auvergne formalized this Wednesday the arrival of Christophe Urios as head coach of the Auvergne club until June 2025, with an additional optional year. He succeeds New Zealander Jono Gibbes, dismissed after the recent poor results of ASM, only 10th in the Top 14 and badly embarked on the Champions Cup (two defeats in three days). The club states that “all sports staff (without Xavier Sadourny who recently left the club, editor’s note) in place retains its prerogatives” and that the new coach “will very quickly have the opportunity to exchange with them as well as with the players”.
Urios, without a club after leaving Union Bordeaux-Bègles in mid-November, will take up his duties at the start of next week, before the Jaunards move to Lyon on January 28. Before that, Clermont moves on Saturday (6.30 p.m.) to the Cape Stormers lawn, in South Africa, on behalf of the 4th and last day of the group stage of the Champions Cup.
In a press release, Jean-Michel Guillon, the Auvergne president, explained: “After fruitful internal and external exchanges over the past few days, we have unanimously come to the conclusion that the arrival of Christophe Urios at ASM is the right choice. His vision of the game and of the club in general corresponds in every way to what we expect.
“Discomfort makes me stronger”
After his experiences at Bourgoin-Jallieu (2005-2007), Oyonnax (2007-2015), Castres (2002-2005 and 2015-2019) and UBB (2019-2022), the former hooker will therefore discover a fifth club , who has been on the wane in recent seasons after picking up the first Brennus Shields in its history in 2010 and 2017.
Read alsoTop 14: the president of Clermont salutes the work of Gibbes, even if his “speech carried a little less”
After leaving UBB, Urios wrote on Twitter at the end of December:My life is rugby and I will soon return to combat because I miss the competition. Discomfort makes me stronger.In his social media post, Urios referenced former US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy saying, “‘When it’s tough to get ahead, it’s the tough ones who get ahead.’ This experience will make me progress… for my new challenge. See you soon at the edge of the field.»
Asked by Le Figaro on his management style, Christophe Urios explained to us, shortly after his arrival at UBB, that his method “is not made ‘according to’, it adapts. There are three things that are important. The men, the so-called rebels. Not guys who go against the rules – even if sometimes that’s good and it’s necessary – but just guys capable of questioning themselves, of being curious, of seeking to progress all the time. The second thing is what is linked to the dream. What I call the vision: what do we want to do with our season? What do we want to win and how? Make everyone push behind a common project.”
“I need to be very close to my players”
And to add: “Afterwards, the third point is what is linked to the execution. Do what we say. It’s my state of mind, I’ve always worked like that. The more I advance, the more I manage to theorize it. If there must be a method, it is through this. I need to be very close to my players. They’re not my friends, but I need to trust them.“When this confidence is broken – as happened in Castres then in Bordeaux-Bègles – the break between Urios and his players is brutal.
Read also‘Storm, rebellion, old demons’: Urios justifies his strong method to shake up UBB players
The name of Christophe Urios had, for a time, been mentioned to lead CA Brive, which had dismissed Jeremy Davidson in mid-October. Finally, the Corrèze club called on Patrice Collazo, a former strongman from La Rochelle and Toulon. It was finally in Auvergne that the former technician from Oyonnax (moved from Pro D2 to the Top 14 play-offs), Castres (2018 champion) and UBB (Top 14 and Champions Cup semi-finalist ) has finally rebounded, as had been anticipated for several days.
