“It’s a match at the end of the block (of ten matches, Editor’s note), there is always additional pressure on finishing well. We are really aware of its importance,” underlines Geoffrey Lanne-Petit, coach in charge of attack and transitions. “We have already lost twice at home, a third defeat is not possible,” says 3rd row Loïc Credoz, promoted to sideline leader in the absence of Hugo Auradou, retained with the XV of France.
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“You will have to be on time”
“We are going to face a team from Pau who have shown that when they have their backs against the wall, they are capable of playing great matches… we have been warned,” says Clermont manager Christophe Urios. Last Saturday against the English from Bristol, the Jaunards snatched their qualification in the 8th of the Champions Cup after a final devastating charge from Thomas Ceyte right into the goal.
A jubilant test for the Auvergne people, symbol of the stubbornness of a team which has regained its splendor under the direction of the Aude technician. “The key to the match is the mobilization of the group! Will the 23 guys who will be lined up on the match sheet be ready to play this type of match? […] If we're not, it's going to be funny! You will have to be on time,” warns Urios, who has already seen his sovereign armada outside his lands twice (in Lyon and Vannes).
“If we are not present in the fight, even relying on our strengths, it will not be able to do it,” Thibault Daubagna.
Unlike the Jaunards, the Paloise Section ceded victory to the Ospreys at Le Hameau and squandered part of the confidence stored up during this European campaign. Nevertheless, during these two confrontations against the Welsh of Newport then Swansea, the Section was able to work on the hot points which await it this Saturday: the fight, the conquest and the kicking game.
This pragmatic and efficient Rugby has allowed Clermont to settle in the top 4. The Section, in difficulty this season against the most robust packs, will have to raise its level to compete with the big arms of the ASM. “Rugby starts with the fundamentals. If we are not good in this area, we cannot hope to win,” warns Loïc Credoz, who wants to see his team “tough, tough”.
-Clermont, the casserole tour
From the commentator's stand, where he officiated for beIN Sports during Pau-Ospreys, Thibault Daubagna saw “a pack of forwards who clearly dominated their opponent, who collected penalties on them. We have to keep it but we also know that Clermont has a big scrum, it's a sector in which we must progress. »
Dominators in the showdown against the Welsh, the Béarnais forwards are also expected on carried balls, the number 1 offensive weapon of the Clermontois, who have already crossed the opposing goal line eight times this season. In contrast, the Section holds a sad record: no tries scored in this area, which is so valuable in the Top 14.
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“We want to counter their power, their physical dimension. They start the game a lot around carried balls. We have to be ready and organized,” warns Lanne-Petit, who hopes not to relive “the poor performance” of the first leg, where the Palois missed their start to the championship at the Marcel-Michelin stadium (39-7).
“Reply on aggression”
Back on Saturday against Clermont, Thibault Daubagna is preparing for an intense clash. “If we are not present in the fight, even relying on our strengths, it will not be able to do it. We will have to respond on aggressiveness, be strong on the front line,” warns the scrum-half, who also expects to see his team rely on its strong points, a game of movement, fast and rhythmic, which can make suffer the Clermont wide-body aircraft. “We also want to make this team move, hurt them offensively. But this will first require being strong in conquest. »
But to cut off the legs of the Clermont monster, the Béarnais will first have to win the test of strength and suffocate a team which tends to accumulate mistakes. A sign of hope for a Section of Paloise which no longer has the right to give up its land.
