Absent for almost a year, Geoffrey Doumayrou (34) is back with the MHR, proving against Toulon on Sunday that he can be invaluable in the fight for survival. His experience, leadership and defensive presence, among others, are already doing a lot of good.
His last Top 14 start for Montpellier came on November 26, 2022. Three matches later, in the Champions Cup against the London Irish on January 22, Geoffrey Doumayrou suffered a knee injury and unknowingly plunged into several months of misery. The Montpellier center (34, 13 caps) returned to competitive action on December 23 against Castres, coming off the bench. On Sunday, against Toulon, he finally got his number 13 back, which he hopes will be a sign of good fortune after eleven months of doubt.
It's been tough," told after the 27-17 win over RCT. I did my knee and then struggled with my calves to get back. I broke one, then the other. It was complicated... I had a hard time mentally, especially with the club's results. I'd been eating my heart out for a long time, so I'm savoring this (Sunday) evening. I hope 2024 will be a better year for me. 2023 was the year I really had to kick the bucket!