Montpellier's pack crumbled against Bath © Getty Images

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When considering the lot of the coaching staff at Montpellier and Castres I am drawn to a tale I recently heard involving a conversation between a director of rugby and his defence coach. The defence coach, who had a family to feed, was seeking clarity on his contract which was up for renewal. His boss, a man he regarded as a friend, told him: "If it's job security you value most then I suggest you go back to being a schoolteacher".

Needless to say, it wasn't the answer he was looking for.

The same advice might just as well be offered to the coaching staff at both Montpellier and Castres where, even by the standards of modern professional sport, the last few weeks have been bizarre.

It's a period which has witnessed a remarkable dip in fortunes for all involved. In May, the two clubs went head-to-head in a Top 14 semi-final. That Castres got up with an extra-time drop goal is now of little consolation to their management team. Just six months later, Serge Milhas, David Darricarrere, and probably manager Mathias Rolland too, are heading for the job centre.

But not just yet.

Wasps saw off Castres © Getty Images

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Their replacement (Oyonnax coach Christophe Urios) and his acolytes (Oyonnax assistants Frederic Charrier and Joe El Abd) don't arrive in the Tarn until the summer so, in the meantime, the hapless trio must soldier on, humiliated by the prospect of their inevitable dismissal, stripped of their dignity, and with little more than clowns' status in the dressing room.

That Milhas and Darricarrere have contracts that run to the middle of 2016 is neither here nor there. They fully expect to be shown the door in the Spring albeit with a substantial severance cheque warming their pockets.

But then the circus in Castres has got nothing on the pantomime currently being played out 90 minutes down the road in Montpellier.

Friday's 30-5 defeat in the mud to Bath last Friday set in motion a rum old chain of events which appears to have paused for now but will almost certainly kick off again in a week's time when the Top 14 resumes and Montpellier's next home game against Toulouse.

Montpellier's submission to Bath was the most supine display the home crowd had seen since … well … the last time they had played at home when Brive, without an away win in the Top 14 for two-and-a-half years, were the visitors. Brive won 25-10 and the scoreline didn't flatter them.

Throughout the game, head coach Fabien Galthie watched on apparently uninterested; his demeanour suggesting things were already going on behind the scenes at the former Stade Yves du Manoir which has recently been renamed in honour of the man who renamed it, club president Mohed Altrad.

Galthie has a reputation for doing things his way. In October, he missed a Top 14 weekend after jetting off to Brazil to attend the 80th birthday party of prominent businessman and rugby investor Serge Kampf. To his critics, Galthie was happier pressing the flesh with the movers 'n' shakers in the South American sunshine than watching his team take on Oyonnax.

Toulon boss Bernard Laporte said: "He went there because the decision-makers in French rugby were also there. He wants to replace Saint-Andre. We have to tell it like it is."

While Galthie was supping cocktails Montpellier beat Oyonnax 25-9. Ironically, it is the last time they won.

Assuming Galthie cares, you would have thought he'd read the signs. Until just before then, Altrad had seemed a patient man. But just a few weeks into the season the club's executive director, the former Montpellier player Denis Navizet, was sacked. He is a close friend of Galthie's and had been described as the firewall between Altrad and the playing management.

Altrad's response to the Brive defeat was to sack the forwards coach, the 65-times capped Puma Mario Ledesma. Meanwhile, backs coach Stephane Glas (37 caps for France) handed in his resignation in protest. Just a few days later, Montpellier would travel to bottom club Lyon having lost their fourth straight match and facing the prospect of falling out of the top six.

To make matters worse Galthie was supervising the side alone. Ledesma had gone and Glas was on leave for "personal reasons". In fact, he'd walked out. "I told him [Altrad] that I supported Mario and asked him to let me go," Glas said. "I had half-a-year left on my contract and said I understood that it would mean leaving with nothing."

But Altrad told Glas he expected him to see out the remainder of his contract. Reluctantly, Glas returned.

Montpellier's losing sequence continued in Lyon (November 29) prompting the first rumours of Galthie's possible departure. Galthie had also been seen at a restaurant with his former colleague Navizet and sentiments expressed by the coach found their way into the newspapers.

Fabien Galthie's job is under threat © Getty Images

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Then came last Friday's sixth straight defeat against Bath and within 24 hours it was being reported that Galthie and Montpellier had parted company. It emerged Galthie and Altrad had met straight after the match and on Saturday morning Galthie visited Montpellier's famous Rugby School Pic Saint-Loup where, it is claimed, he revealed he had left the club.

But while the power, money and influence of Montpellier's president had seen him recently sack a senior executive, a respected coach and even strike off the club's association with one French rugby legend, Yves du Manoir of Stade Yves du Manoir fame, he has for now at least met his match in another, the former IRB player of the year, national captain, and man dubbed France's greatest ever scrum-half.

The following afternoon (Sunday) at five o'clock a delegation of the club's senior players, including Francois Trinh-Duc, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Nicolas Mas and Thibaut Privat, met at Altrad's company headquarters. Galthie was also there. The meeting lasted two hours though Galthie was asked to leave after 90 minutes. The players demanded Galthie's reinstatement. Altrad granted it.

On Monday, both Galthie and Glas were shoulder-to-shoulder on the training ground.

So where from here? It seems that having written off a couple of significant severance cheques in recent weeks Altrad had no appetite to sanction another. Galthie has a contract until June 2017.

Even so, things have changed and there is talk, whatever it means, of a new management style and structure at the club. Galthie remains in charge but notionally. It seems likely Altrad is putting together a new management team for next season. Names like Ewen McKenzie and Pierre Berbizier have been mooted.

In the short-term, it seems a deadline to measure improvement has been set. Montpellier are now in eighth place in the Top 14 and two points behind sixth-placed Bordeaux-Begles.

It has been reported that Altrad expects to see Montpellier back in the play-off places by close of play on January 3. It means Galthie has three matches to turn things round - at home against Toulouse and Toulon and away to Castres.

Do you reckon he can do it? Ordinarily I'd say "no". But then there's nothing ordinary about Fabien Galthie.