Eighth, four points off the first qualifying place. Bayonne are far from being cut adrift. At Jean-Dauger the Basques are maintaining their fortress perfectly and win every time, even if some of those wins go to the wire.
Yes, but. On Saturday, Aviron were crushed away from home once again, this time by Montpellier (62-22). A heavy defeat despite a competitive starting XV, and one that will do nothing to calm the tensions inside the club.
“Decisions will have to be taken“, said Philippe Tayeb, the Bayonne president, speaking to Canal +. He also mentioned “changes of message” to bring in some freshness. On the subject of his director of rugby Laurent Travers, the Basque club’s boss made clear that his arrival has so far had no effect on the sporting side… “until tonight“. That last phrase – delivered with a smile that irritated plenty of supporters – remains enigmatic.
“I’m not asking myself the question”
Will he go, won’t he go… What will manager Grégory Patat’s situation be over the coming hours? Will Laurent Travers, a former player and, above all, a former coach of real quality, return to the touchline? The suspense is total.
In his press conference, though, Patat did not seem worried about his own position. “I know my job, I know how it works. I’m here to get results. Every manager is judged on results. I’m carrying on working, I’m not asking myself the question. But right now I have had no signal pointing that way“.
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Philippe Tayeb. I have my position as regards Jean. I’ve discussed it with Jean. But I’m not the boss, Philippe Tayeb is“, he concluded, referring there to the case of Jean Monribot, a former club great who had been sounded out to take charge of the lineout. He would not, it seems, be welcome as far as Patat is concerned.
Memories of the Yannick Bru affair
A brief recap is in order. During the summer of 2025, Philippe Tayeb “imposed” Laurent Travers, the former Racing 92 president and a French champion, as director of rugby to give the club fresh momentum. So far, nothing unusual.
But internally, the appointment immediately caused ructions: Grégory Patat, the architect of the historic semi-final in 2024 and of Champions Cup qualification, feared an overlap of responsibilities and a loss of control over recruitment. Travers, in charge of sporting objectives and coordination, found himself limited by Patat.
In October 2025, an internal meeting is said to have reignited tensions between the various parties, as our colleagues at Sud-Ouest revealed. Above all, the ghosts of the Yannick Bru era, with Bru pushed out in 2022 despite decent results, were back in everyone’s minds.
A decision could be taken before Bayonne’s next two Champions Cup fixtures, away at Leicester and at home to Leinster.
Comments