At the end of a long undecided meeting, Montpellier overcame Stade Rochelais (26-15) and ideally launched its season for the first of Richard Cockerill on his bench.
Dominated territorially and in possession during the first act, the Héraultais logically conceded a first try through Dillyn Leyds (21st), who grabbed a ball escaped from a ruck before flattening 40 meters further away. Almost against the course of the game, the Cistes managed to pick up the score just before the break (10-10) thanks to a banderilla planted by his center Thomas Darmon (37th), at the conclusion of a good sequence of his three- quarters.
The tenants of GGL Stadium returned with completely different intentions from the locker room and quickly regained the advantage with the hard try of their substitute hooker Vano Karkadze (42nd), who had just come on. Showing character, the Montpellier have long been able to resist the waves of La Rochelle before giving in after a counter-assassin from Nathan Bollengier on an attempt to clear Jan Serfontein (63rd). But the indiscipline of the Maritimes allowed Louis Carbonel to investigate (5/5, 13 points) and build the success of the MHR. The first for five seasons on the 1st day.