The ASM came with intentions, fought but could not compete. nothing surprising, upon arrival. The ASM knows that it is still too limited but it does not despair of remedying this.
Clermontois cannot be blamed for not having played the game in Toulouse. For the occasion, Christophe Urios had relied on a competitive and coherent starting XV, with Lee, Ojovan, Delguy, Moala and Falgoux; in the heat of the action, their commitment was optimal until the final whistle even though the outcome had been known for too long.
On arrival, the observation is all the more stark: “We fought, we wanted to explain ourselves to these guys, we didn’t want to be stooges. I found us extremely courageous, combative, strong but we are not at the level of Toulouse”, bowed Christophe Urios afterwards. This match was stingy with lessons, only confirming the obvious: “ There was a big gap. But I didn’t wait for this match to find out. Toulouse was a good Toulouse and we played with our means today.” The excitement of the challenge and the flashiness of the poster did not have magical effects: “We are still far from the standards of the teams who play in the top ranks, confirmed Etienne Falgoux. We are in our place, we must realize that.”
These absentees who weigh
Everyone on the Auvergne side seemed, for the time being, to be lucid on the subject. As for the recurring ineffectiveness of the ASM away from home: in its three trips, it has not brought back a single point. Only Stade Français – before its trip to Lyon this Sunday – is in the same situation. If a zero scored in Toulouse is not infamous, it adds to those, more unfortunate, suffered in Créteil and Perpignan: “Last year, it was the same pattern and we failed to reach one point from sixth place, mentioned the left pillar. We have to scrounge away from home, we can’t be satisfied with matches at home. Otherwise, we will still die by one or two points… But be careful, the road is long, there have only been three matches.” Last year, the Auvergnats still won three times, far from Michelin… And this from the third day. But their inconsistency at home ended up ruining their efforts with a balanced record of twelve victories for as many losses and two draws. A quarter into the championship, Clermont seems set to navigate the same waters. From there to affirm that the ASM is stagnating? In any case, it remains dependent, like so many other teams at the crossroads, between fifth and tenth place, on the state of its troops: “We need players, we still have guys in the infirmary who are important for us up front: Kremer, Simmons, Sowakula…” We can only nod.
Without all its strength, Clermont remains fragile, feverish. Those interested know this and will not fail to remember it when they see the promotion arrive at Michelin: “Vannes will have nothing to lose, knows Etienne Falgoux. They will come without pressure and will hang on. They must be taken very seriously.” To preserve the essentials. Waiting for the click…
