After the victory and the heroic qualification of the Clermontois at home, Saturday, during the last day of the group stage of the Champions Cup against Bristol (33-26), find out what was most… and what displeased our editorial staff.
TOPS
The last Homeric action of the Jaunards
At the end of a final masterful action of more than six minutes, punctuated by around thirty phases of play, beyond regulation time, the second line of ASM Thomas Ceyte went to forcefully flatten in the in-goal English to seal the Auvergne victory and bring his team very close to qualifying for the round of 16 of the Champions Cup (the latter assured thanks to Leinster's victory against Bath). Facing the Bears, ASM experienced the roller coaster and narrowly avoided the nightmare. The English team, until the end, believed in the big blow, helped a lot by Clermont's clumsiness. One of the matches of the season, clearly. A benchmark success for Christophe Urios' men, who will therefore see the European spring.
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Champions Cup: at the end of a final tough action to win against Bristol, Clermont reaches the round of 16
The Peceli Yato steamroller
The ASM second line showed his power against the Bears. The Fijian finished the match with 20 races carried out at high intensity (52 meters covered with ball in hand). A war machine. In the most difficult moments of the match, the Jaunards were able to count on the future player from Perpignan to keep their heads high.
ASM will see the European spring
Thanks to their superb victory and Leinster's success against Bath this Saturday (47-21), the Auvergnats qualified for the 8es of the final, finishing at 4e place in their group. The Jaunards, in full renaissance this season, can continue to dream of an epic in the queen of continental competitions.
Alivereti Raka, from the dream…
Author of a double in this match (40e53e) and the impressive total of 18 races carried out at full intensity (70 meters covered with ball in hand), the French international was the man of the match for Clermont. Until… a big mistake which almost proved fatal to the ASM.
-FLOPS
…To the nightmare
In the very last minutes of the game, while Clermont was leading with a converted try, Raka, on an offensive, lost the ball in contact, which allowed, in the process, the Bears and Kieran Marmion to flatten in corner to make the Jaunards tremble until the end! A clumsiness which could have cost Baptiste Jauneau's teammates (very) dearly. Fortunately, without consequences.
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Champions Cup: Castres, La Rochelle and Clermont qualified, Stade Français eliminated… Update on French clubs
Clermont was (extremely) scared
While they were in control for the vast majority of the match, Christophe Urios' men showed excitement to leave the Bears in the game. The Jaunards, who did everything well, could have lost everything in the face of the tenacity and opportunism of the English. A match which will be a reference for this ASM in reconstruction. But, the latter will have to be more “killer” and “clinical” in order to go further in the competition.