The Clermontois said goodbye to a potential victory in the 25th minute, during Giorgi Akhaladze’s red card. A zero-point defeat which does not change ASM’s plans.
Christophe Urios had warned Clermont supporters : in Bath, his Jaunards were going to play hard. A lot of play. “If we don’t create, if we don’t undertake more, we won’t get through!” warned the boss of ASM this Friday. Impressive up front, it is true that the Clermont three-quarters have had a hard time letting go since the first minutes of the season and creating major movements. And at the dawn of 2025, the beginnings of improvement were glimpsed in Vannes with a subtle try scored by Newsome. “Not enough” in the eyes of Urios who expected more creativity from his men in England. But from the 2nd minute, Max Ojomoh exploded the desire to start the game well with a lightning breakthrough, at the origin of Tom de Glanville’s first try. Four minutes later, Finn Russell had too much fun in the Clermont defense to start a first cold shower: 14-0 in seven minutes. The Yellow Army also broke out in a cold sweat seeing a first-hand attack wasted by a pass that was too risky to get behind the Bath line.
Akhaladze, the red that spoils
Folau Fainga’a, in force, finally compensated for the inaccuracies of his colleagues, for the start of the revolt almost immediately stopped by Giorgi Akhaladze’s red card in the 25th minute. For a high tackle, the Georgian pillar was sanctioned with the supreme sanction, jeopardizing the Auvergne conquest. A sledgehammer which initially froze the Jaunards before a new attempt to put the game into play at the end of the period… rewarded thanks to a header from Ollie Lawrence, which allowed Belleau to dive into the promised land. For the rest, the second period was uninteresting, despite a nice rebellion just after the break. Weighed down by their numerical inferiority and a clear domination in closed scrums by the English, the Jaunards were never really able to put their game in place, with one less, and against a Bath team which never trembled.
A “sixteenth” final against Bristol
Christophe Urios had announced that this meeting in Bath would determine the rest of the ASM season. If they had won at the Rec, the Jaunards could legitimately have believed in a hot round of 16 in their Michelin lair. Despite this setback in the south of the Kingdom, ASM’s hopes still remain intact for qualification in the round of 16. The Jaunards will not be able to host at Michelin, since La Rochelle and Trévise (ahead of ASM in the ranking) face each other next weekend, but they will have to win against Bristol to reach the final phase. An English team which was very scared against Treviso After not having brought home any points from its two trips, Clermont is therefore up against the wall but will have the privilege of hosting the Bears to afford the right to extend their campaign European. But to return to the final phase, three years later, the revolt, and the beautiful game, are expected next Saturday!
Senegal
