Heineken Cup:
James the
hero as Clermont Auvergne beat champions Munster again
07 December 2008
Clermont Auvergne put a
smile back on the face of French rugby when they beat
reigning Heineken Cup champions Munster 25-19 at the Stade
Marcel Michelin on Sunday afternoon.
Brock James was the
Clermont hero, scoring all 25 points in the crucial Pool 1
encounter as Les Jaunards repeated last year’s group win
over the Munster. The Australian fly half kicked six
penalties and ran in a second-half try as the Top 14 outfit
rallied from 16-9 down just before half-time.
James and his Irish
counterpart Ronan O’Gara traded two penalties apiece in the
opening skirmishes before Munster hooker Marcus Horan
crashed over for the game’s first try on 25 minutes.
O’Gara converted from
the corner to give the visitors a seven-point cushion before
a pair of James penalties either side of the interval
reduced that back down to one.
Then, seven minutes into
the second half, James made the game’s telling play, beating
two tackles to touch down for the hosts as they regained the
lead.
The influential No 10, last season’s top
points scorer in Top 14, then added the conversion and
another penalty to lift Clermont 25-16 ahead with 25 minutes
to play.
Munster re-jigged their
pack in an effort to stem the tide and were rewarded when
O’Gara kicked his fourth penalty six minutes from time to
earn the visitors a vital bonus point.
Clermont remain third in
the pool, with Munster one point behind Sale in second
position, making next week’s matches ever more crucial.
Clermont will travel to
Limerick knowing their away form has been little short of
disastrous this season, while Sale will be confident of
overcoming struggling Montauban.
But for now it is time
to enjoy the result, which at least partially lifted the
gloom of another depressing showing from Top 14 sides in
Europe, with Toulouse the only other weekend winners in the
Heineken Cup (see
report).
In the day’s other match
Bath beat Glasgow Warriors 35-31 to maintain second place
behind Toulouse in Pool 5.
Full weekend results
|
Pool 1 |
|
Sale Sharks 36 |
Montauban 6 |
|
Clermont 25 |
Munster 19 |
|
Pool 2 |
|
Edinburgh 16 |
Wasps 25 |
|
Leinster 33 |
Castres 3 |
|
Pool 3 |
|
Ospreys 68 |
Benetton Treviso 8 |
|
Leicester Tigers 38 |
Perpignan 27 |
|
Pool 4 |
|
Ulster 26 |
Scarlets 16 |
|
Stade Francais 10 |
Harlequins 15 |
|
Pool 5 |
|
Toulouse 26 |
Dragons 7 |
|
Bath 35 |
Warriors 31 |
|
Pool 6 |
|
Cardiff Blues 21 |
Biarritz 17 |
|
Calvisano 17 |
Gloucester 40 |
|
