Clermont and Toulon advance to European Final

 

The Semi-Finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup were held on the weekend.

Two French teams remained in the hunt and for both they were virtual home games. Clermont played Saracens in the nearby football city of St. Etienne, and Toulon played Leinster in Marseilles, where they sometimes play important fixtures.

Clermont 13 – Saracens 9

Clermont had been thrashed by Saracens at Twickenham in the same fixture in 2014 but they got their revenge with a masterful stroke after half-time.

Saracens were in good form after dominating Leicester the week before, whereas Clermont rested their best players against Oyonnax and lost at home.

First Half

The best thing about the first 40 minutes was that it lasted only that long. As one who had just watched the Hurricanes play the Waratahs, the viewing was like having root canal treatment.

After ten minutes of likely endeavour Saracens somehow bluffed Clermont into playing the English game.

Clermont !! There are a lot of teams in the Top 14 that play boring rugby to suit their squad’s profile but the “Yellow Peril” isn’t one of them. Seeing them getting sucked into an English-type game was like watching David Warner playing for stumps, at 2:30.

Sure, the Saracens’ rush defence was efficient, 9 Richard Wigglesworth box-kicked accurately and the Vunipola boys had some thunderous runs and tackles, but you wanted some ice cream to go with the meat and potatoes.

Ashton turns his back on Nalaga – no arms, not even a shoulder

 

There was one moment of drama at 19 minutes after Clermont kicked a penalty to the corner and the ball was swept wide from the maul. Big bopper winger Napolioni Nalaga charged for the other corner but Sarries’ winger Chris Ashton came flying at him, turned his body so as not to hurt himself, and bunted him into the corner post.

Referee George Clancy looked at the big screen and ordered a 22 drop-out. There was not even a penalty awarded, let alone a yellow card to Ashton, or a penalty try. Even partisan English commentators Ben Kay and Austin Healey were puzzled about the leniency.

The Super Rugby referees would have been all over it and TMO George Ayoub would have “told” Clancy it was a penalty try and a card by asking if he should look for those things.

The scoring? Saracen’s flyhalf Charlie Hodgson dropped a sweet goal and slotted a penalty, though he missed two others. The Clermont 10, Brock James, missed a droppie but kicked a penalty goal.

Half-time score: Saracens 6 – Clermont 3.

Reading that would have been more exciting than watching the game.

 Wesley Fofana scoring only try in the match

 

Second Half

After the chess game of the first half, rugby broke out soon after the break when 12. Wesley Fofana scored. It was like shelling peas, and so was the James’ conversion. Clermont led 10-6 at 44 minutes.

Saracens seemed to realise they could lose and started to play wide; one wondered why they didn’t do this before because they looked handy. But a stripped ball by Fofana and a knock-on by Sarries when Clermont lost the ball in their own 22, spoiled their chances.

Sarries’ reserve flyhalf, Owen Farrell, now returned after a long lay off, kicked a goal from a scrum penalty for a scoreline of Clermont 10-9 at 66 minutes. The noisy Clermont fans with their yellow flags and outfits suddenly got quiet, and nervous.

But the French team’s reserves were better than the Sarries’ bench, and the vibe of Clancy’s decisions was resonating in their favour.

After a well-placed bomb to the Saracens’ 22, lock Sebastien Vahaamahina, a Tarzan/Jane type of player, was immovable over the ruck for Clermont; Clancy blew, and James slotted, to make the score 13-9.

There were still seven minutes of rugby left but it didn’t faze the Clermont contingent at the ground: they started singing “La Marseillaise”.

There was one moment when the Black Riders of Saracens had about half their team charging up the field against three defenders but 13 Marcel Bosch took a wrong option, and when Clermont got the ball they closed the game out.

Final score: Clermont 13 – Saracens 9

 Clermont fans – started singing “La Marseillaise” early

The Wrap Up

Clermont was dumb to let Saracens slow the game down in the first half. In the final they will have be true to themselves and play the kind of rugby that got them there.

Saracens escaped with a win in the last minute playing kick-rugby in the Quarter-Finals, when Bosch booted a penalty goal from near half way in Paris. You can’t dodge too many bullets like that though, and Clermont didn’t miss.

The English team looked decent when they were forced to use width in the second half and it serves them right for not trying earlier.

 

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[one_half last=”no”]

The Game Changer

The Ashton/Nalaga incident would have been a key moment had Saracens won, but they lost.

Just after the half-time break there were a few probing moves following a Clermont scrum in the Sarries’ 22.

When Brock James noticed the Saracens’ sweeper was missing he chipped perfectly for inside centre Wesley Fofana to dive over the line and score the only try of the match. [/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

The G&GR MOTM

For Saracens 7 Jacques Burger was like “Mad Max” in the first half and brothers, LHP Mako and no. 8 Billy Vunipola, plowed through tacklers or crunched ball runners.

For once the French assessors got the official award right. Aussie Brock James was the G&GR MOTM also. He was a masterful game manager, was perfect from the tee and when the key moment of the game arrived he got that right too.[/one_half]

 Brock James – man of the match

 

The Details

Score & Scorers

[one_half last=”no”]

Clermont – 13

Try: W. Fofana (43)

Conversion: B. James (44)

Penalties: B. James (26, 33)

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

Saracens – 9

Penalties: C. Hodgson (36), O. Farrell (65)

Drop Goal: C. Hodgson (14)

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”no”]

Cards & Citings

None

[/one_half]

[one_half last=”yes”]

Crowd

41,500

[/one_half]

Match Details

Clermont: 1. V. Debaty, 2. B. Kayser, 3. D. Zirakashvili, 4. J.Cudmore, 5. S.Vahaamahina, 6. J. Bonnaire, 7. J. Bardy, 8. D. Chouly (c), 9. L. Radoslavjevic, 10. B. James, 11. N. Nalaga, 12. W. Fofana, 13. J. Davies, 14. N. Nakaitaci,15. N. Abendanon.

Replacements: 16. J. Ulugia, 17. R. Chaume, 18. C. Ric, 19. J. Pierre, 20. A. Lapandry, 21. M. Parra, 22 C. Lopez, 23 A. Rougerie.

Saracens: 1. M.Vunipola, 2. J. George, 3. P. du Plessis, 4. G. Kruis, 5. J. Hamilton, 6. M. Itoje, 7. J. Burger, 8. B. Vunipola, 9. R. Wigglesworth, 10. C. Hodgson, 11. C. Wyles, 12. B. Barritt (c),13. M. Bosch, 14. C. Ashton, 15. A. Goode.

Replacements: 16. Schalk Brits, 17. Rhys Gill, 18. James Johnston, 19. Kelly Brown, 20. Jackson Wray, 21. Neil de Kock, 22. Owen Farrell, 23. David Strettle.

Date: Saturday, April 18
Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, St-Etienne
Kick-off: 16.15 local
Referee: George Clancy (Ire)
Assistant Referees: Leighton Hodges (Wal), Dudley Phillips (Ire)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ire)

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Toulon v Leinster on Page 2