Clermont dump Ospreys out of Europe
Clermont booked a home quarter-final after they saw off the Ospreys at Stade Marcel-Michelin, winning 24-7 to eliminate the Welsh region.
Nick Abendanon struck the first try with 15 minutes of the first-half to play, as Clermont took a 13-0 lead into half-time. Ospreys narrowed that lead through Ashley Beck, but never looked like getting back in it and a try right at the end through Luke McAlister sealed victory for the hosts.
The hunt for top spot in Pool 2 came down to a shoot-out between first and second, as Ospreys looked to steal a home quarter-final away from their French hosts. Defeat last week against Northampton put a huge dent in Clermont’s Champions Cup campaign, whilst Ospreys were able to secure a draw against Saracens. The Premiership side were still in with a sniff of qualifying, depending on the result at the Stade Marcel-Michelin.
There weren’t many changes in the two sides starting XVs, and there wasn’t too much to report in terms of action in the first 20 minutes. It was the hosts who started on the front foot however, and they actually looked like they’d taken the lead on seven minutes. A line-out saw Morgan Parra feed possession into Remi Grosso, who looked like he’d found the line legally. The TMO spotted a stray boot go out of play in the process though, Ospreys surviving.
But they fell behind on 25 minutes as Clermont grabbed the opening try. Grosso played his part as Ospreys struggled to get in position, and a deft kick over the top from Parra met the run of Abendanon who grounded next to the post. Parra converted for a seven-point lead.
He was on hand to make that double figures with a penalty from distance, as Ospreys were suddenly faced with missing out on the top two with Saracens wrapping up a bonus point early on. And before the break, a second Parra penalty had Clermont with a deserved 13-0 lead going into the second 40.
If Ospreys were to keep their European hopes alive, they needed to burst out of the blocks straight from the restart. But as with the first-half, there was little to trouble those operating the scoreboard. The Welsh side did push their hosts back and Alun Wyn Jones found himself within five metres of the try line. But that was as close as they got, with Clermont shutting the door.
They did break their duck just before the hour mark though with their first try. Dan Biggar broke through the centre before offloading to Scott Baldwin. His pass fell into the arms of Beck, who went through and allowed Biggar to narrow the gap down to six points.
But Parra restored a nine-point lead with a mammoth kick, 16-7 the score with just over 10 minutes left on the clock – and on Ospreys Champions Cup campaign. Greig Laidlaw made that lead 12 as time began to ran out, and Clermont guaranteed the win with a second try right at the death. Peceli Yato stole possession and after Grosso had a touch in the process, McAlister ran through for a 24-7 win.
The scorers:
For Clermont:
Tries: Abendanon, McAlister
Con: Parra
Pens: Parra 3, Laidlaw
For Ospreys:
Try: Beck
Con: Biggar
Clermont: 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Nick Abendanon, 13 Peter Betham, 12 Rémi Lamerat, 11 Remi Grosso, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Alexandre Lapandry, 6 Peceli Yato, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Arthur Iturria, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Raphael Chaume
Replacements: 16 Yohan Beheregaray, 17 Etienne Falgoux, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Paul Jedrasiak, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Noa Nakaitaci, 23 Scott Spedding
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Ashley Beck, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Jeff Hassler, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Rob McCusker, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Ma'afu Fia, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Will Jones, 21 Thomas Habberfield, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Kieron Fonotia
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe (England), Simon McConnell (England)
Television match official: Stuart Terheege (England)