Christophe Urios reacted to Clermont’s group in the Champions Cup, which includes Bath, Treviso, Bristol, La Rochelle and especially the big favorite Leinster. The Clermont manager considered that this group was “dense but playable”. Let’s remember that ASM will not face La Rochelle because the two French clubs in the same group cannot play each other.
Clermont will return to the Champions Cup next December. The Yellow and Blue will face Bath, Bristol, Treviso but above all the great Leinster, in a group 2 where we also find La Rochelle (even if the two clubs will not meet). “I’m happy to be back in the Champions Cupreacted the manager on the ASM website. We were obviously expecting a difficult group because there are only good teams in this competition.”
While he considers the duels against Bath, Bristol and Treviso to be “playable” against which his players “will have to compete”, Christophe Urios is already salivating over the shock against Leinster, triple finalist of the competition in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and accustomed to winning all their matches in the group stage. “We are looking forward to facing the Irish team of Leinster. It is a game that could be decisive. Leinster are admirable whether it is in terms of their squad, the rugby they produce or their organisation on the pitch. They are the kind of team that allows you to grow.”
Happy with the draw
A gala poster planned at Michelin? We will still need to know the calendar to know if the “boys in blue” will travel to Auvergne or if Urios’ men will have to go and challenge the Leinstermen in Dublin. In this group 2, apart from Leinster and La Rochelle, the Clermontois will have a good card to play against Bristol, Bath and Treviso. To glimpse the final stages and hope for a good run in the Champions Cup, the Auvergnats will have to show themselves up to the task against these three opponents. “I am happy with the draw, I appreciate Christophe Urios. It will be very dense, but playable.”
In the season that has just ended, his men fell cruelly in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup against the Durban Sharks (32-31), winners of the competition. At the time, the manager had considered that “this match [devait] Also [leur] allow us to move forward.” Clermont then failed to make it into the top 6 to play in the final stages of the Top 14, but thanks to this eighth place, they earned the right to return to the premier competition. With, according to Christophe Urios, a lot of ambition.
