Try time: Lee Byrne touches down
Clermont cruised into the Heineken Cup semi-finals on Sunday with a convincing 22-3 win over Saracens at Vicarage Road.
The 2010 French champions will now face defending European champions Leinster at Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux for a last-four showdown on April 29, Clermont's first appearance in the Heineken Cup semi-finals.
Australian fly-half Brock James kicked 17 points while Wales full-back Lee Byrne scored the only try of the game.
At times one could have sworn that Clermont were the home team judging by the singing coming from the army of travelling fans from the Auvergne. On the pitch the impression was much the same as Clermont put on a tactically astute display coupled with clinical execution to lead from start to finish.
The hosts never looked like winning. The Premiership champions' flat, pedestrian-paced attacked was consistently repelled by the well-drill Jaunards defence.
Indeed, it was the power of the French side - not their customary free-running game - that provided the key to victory. The visiting pack pounded away to set up string of early penalties before the backs landed the killer blow early in the second period.
With Exeter, Harlequins and Wasps all losing to French opposition in the Amlin Challenge Cup this weekend, Saracens' defeat ended English hopes in European competition this season.
It didn't begin well for Clermont as starting fly-half David Skrela limped off after just three minutes. But three minutes later his replacement opened the scoring from the kicking tee.
James - who famously faltered in the quarter-finals against Leinster two seasons ago - held his nerve to add two further penalties, including one from the halfway line, as the Sarries scrum buckled.
The reply wasn't long in coming though and Owen Farrell slotted an excellent kick to put the hosts on the board on the quarter-hour mark.
The opposing fly-halves each missed further chances to add points as the Sarries scrum made a strong comeback. But Clermont were looking the more dangerous side with ball in hand and so solid in defence they would not concede any further points.
The half ended with Clermont leading 9-3 but the French side extended their advantage soon after the restart with a fabulous try.
Nathan Hines showed great hands to offload in the tackle and put Aurélien Rougerie into space. The big centre bust clear before finding Morgan Parra in support. The scrum-half had three players to choose from on his outside and picked Byrne for the five-pointer in the corner.
James was having a great day and added six more points with a neat drop goal and another penalty to leave Clermont 22-3 up going into the final quarter.
The last twenty minutes were mostly played in the Clermont half as Saracens threw the kitchen sink at the line of white jerseys. But wall would not be moved and Sarries were left frustrated.
Man of the match: A tip of the hat to the Clermont pack, but we'll go with Brock James, who was ice-cool under pressure and pin-point accurate with his kicks, both out of hand and from the tee.
The scorers:
For Saracens:
Pen: Farrell
For Clermont:
Try: Byrne
Con: James
Pens: James 4
Drop: James
Saracens 15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Owen Farrell, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Justin Melck, 5 Mouritz Botha, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Rhys Gill.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Carlos Nieto, 19 George Kruis, 20 Jackson Wray, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Adam Powell, 23 James Short.
Clermont: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Wesley Fofana , 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 David Skrela, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Alexandre Lapandry, 6 Julien Bonnaire, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Lionel Faure.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Daniel Kotze, 19 Julien Pierre, 20 Julien Bardy, 21 Ludovic Radoslavjevic , 22 Brock James, 23 Jean-Marcel Buttin,
Venue: Vicarage Road, Watford
Referee: Alain Rolland
By Ross Hastie
Comments
Lucasrg says...
I spotted Matt Stevens at the Borough Market here in London on saturday going for some food, maybe he had too much!!
Posted 18:46 09th April 2012
andy021 says...
pierredelot1 owen farrell played at 13 and the sooner he takes the 10 jersey the better. which leaves brad baritt as the only england centre, and with manu tuilagi available and as i mentioned below, the emergence of george lowe at quins and elliot daly at wasps im quite confident about the future.
Posted 17:03 09th April 2012
pierredelot1 says...
Come on lawynd Hodgson played the odd game and got a couple of tries early on. I hadn't known that he had been dropped. Perhaps you're party to some inside information. I had counted 15.
Posted 15:52 09th April 2012
lawynd says...
@pierredelot1 - whilst I agree with a few of your points, I'm curious as to how Farrell, Barritt and Strettle account for 90% of the seven places in England's backline?
Posted 12:54 09th April 2012
andy021 says...
@theshaw and @headhunter99
Easter Sunday isn't a factor in the attendance. It's normally leas that half that for home games and a large part of the Wembley crowd are neutrals and parents taking the kids to see McFly.
Let's hope the new stadium will bring out the armchair supporters and give our (frankly) tiny fan base a much needed boost.
Posted 12:27 09th April 2012
andy021 says...
Englands centre problems won't last long when Elliot Daly and George Lowe step up to challenge Brad and Manu. We seem flush with promising #10's, foden or Brown are both great fullbacks. It's the wings and scrum halves that worry me.
Posted 12:19 09th April 2012
lostprofit says...
From McCall after the match:
You could almost see the difference in the salary caps (£7.2m in France compared to £4.2m in England) as you looked down on the pitch at various times today, there is no question about that.
No real sympathy for sarries though, they have South African sugar daddies and still play the most insipid rugby ever.
Posted 12:10 09th April 2012
NHsaints says...
Well honestly I don't rate edinburgh's chances and Clermont will have to pull something special to beat leinster...otherwise I'd say (unless the wheels fall off) that Leinster are likely HC champions.
Posted 11:06 09th April 2012
pierredelot1 says...
The failure of Saracens to compete with Clermont reflects the problem facing theEngland Team to tour South Africa in the summer. With 90% of the England back line on the park, Saracens failed to put together any attacking moves of any quality whatsoever. For those who think that Lancaster is well on the way to putting a great side together this was the best illustration so far that he has a hell of a lot of work to do and that when it comes to centres he'd better keep looking. Leinster with O'Driscoll looked a much better bet in their comprehensive win over Cardiff at least they showed some attacking guile and wit, but it will take some effort to defeat this Clermont side. Amazing that Cudmore managed to stay on the park for 80 minutes. Clermont travelling in France not a problem game on
Posted 10:08 09th April 2012
davodiablo says...
@the Shaw if you've ever been to Watford Stadium you'd know why people stay away .
Posted 08:22 09th April 2012
nabberuk says...
Clermont deserve to be chucked out of the competition with some of their players constant play acting. It a joke.
Posted 21:16 08th April 2012
lawynd says...
@leinster_goy - so the fact that three of the last five HEC finals have been contested by English sides doesn't mean anything I suppose? One of them was even an all-English affair. I guess Harlequins and Gloucester beating Toulouse, the best team in Europe, doesn't count?
Posted 21:10 08th April 2012
papachinzo says...
Saracens looked like headless chickens, their form of attack was: once up the centre, then spread to the wing, repeat. It has to be said, English Club Rugby is.muck.
Clermont vs Leinster is practically a rivalry game at this stage. It should be as, if not more physical than an International test match. looking forward to some good semi-final rugby.
Posted 20:00 08th April 2012
Headhunter99 says...
@theshaw says....
Can any Saracens fan tell me why your stadium wasn't even full?
Do you think it might be because its Easter Sunday and a lot of normal fans both in England and France had other things to do ??
Posted 19:49 08th April 2012
Nicholas41 says...
'northampton in the final last may'
The fact that they were in the final ahead of all but one of the top French/Irish teams means you're talking a bit of nonsense there.
Posted 19:34 08th April 2012
Paddy91317 says...
Oh so clermont technically are not at home on april 29th well that god for that ..... Clermont at home are probably one of the teams in europe leinster would feel a bit 'ify' about but seeing as its slightly more neutral venue il take that but ulster can probably relax with an easy semi and concentrate on the final
Posted 19:27 08th April 2012
TVaddict says...
Well played Clermont! Saracens as dull in attack as always.
Does anyone else gets really irritated at Parra? Such an actor, always throwing himself on the floor injured. I wouldn't mind fines coming in for players who fake injuries like that as we don't want it getting like football.
Posted 19:13 08th April 2012
theshaw says...
Can any Saracens fan tell me why your stadium wasn't even full? English champions and all that in a 1/4 final of Heineken cup and you can't even fill your little stadium??? The Clermont fans ousted you (granted you were not winning but still could really get behind your team) Can someone explain please?
Posted 19:02 08th April 2012
leinster_goy says...
the first thing that should be said about this game is that clermont were playing a over-hyped, ponderous and brittle saracens side (a bit like most, if not all, aviva premiership teams - look at northampton in the final last may, leicester at ravenhill this year...). the gulf in class between the very top french/irish teams and the english clubs is vast and today was just another example of this
having said that, clermont are formidable and leinster have an enormous task on april 29th. it will be by far the biggest game of their season and the likes of heaslip, o'brien and darcy, who have been lacklustre this year, will be ruthlessly exposed unless they buck up their ideas
i have a sneaking feeling that clermont have not shaken their inferiority complex in europe and they still have the capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, even when totally dominant (loss at welford road back in december a prime example). also, they will not be in the stade marcel michelin, which is a plus for leinster. playing in bordeaux 400 km away will effectively be an away day for les jaunards
one thing is certain - we are set for an absolutely entralling semi-final and i'm confident that whichever team wins will lift the heineken cup in may
Posted 18:44 08th April 2012