Brive 9 (9) Clermont Auvergne 9 (3)

Two points lost or two points gained was the unanswered question left hanging in the air as Brive and Clermont Auvergne drew 9-9 at the Stade Amédée Domenech.

Both sides spurned opportunities to win the match outright, with Brive dominating proceedings up to the break before Clermont rallied strongly after the interval.

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Clean attacking ball remained at a premium all evening - as you might expect in a high-pressured derby - and with no tries scored it eventually came down to a straight shootout between the two sides' respective kickers - Luciano Orquera and Brock James.

Brive, as the home side, will be the more disappointed, especially after a bright opening 40 minutes which saw their forwards turn the screw on Clermont's under-pressure pack. Three times they either won scrums against the head, or sufficiently dominated to earn penalties, and by the end of the half they were even stealing lineout ball too.

But for all their pressure they could only amass a 9-3 lead as unforced handling errors and Clermont's stout defence prevented any tries. Not even the presence of debutant Riki Flutey could inspire the hosts as they were continually met by a unyielding wall of yellow and blue.

Brive started frantically, no doubt trying to erase the memories of last week's 38-0 drubbing in Toulouse, but by the time Orquera slotted the first of his three penalties (in the 15th minute) they had settled into something resembling a pattern. England hooker Steve Thompson welcomed opposing scrum-half Morgan Parra with a typically forthright dumping and the 13,322 strong crowd thrilled to the teams' efforts as the match was played out in glorious late evening sunshine and accompanied by a cacophony of noise.

Brive scrum-half Shaun Perry made light of a knee injury to buzz around with potent effervescence, and when a huge Brive push on Clermont's scrum brought their second kickable penalty, after 21 minutes, it seemed the home side might break clear. Orquera again succeeded - this time from 40m - and the Gaillard faithful were scenting a famous win.

But Clermont's James almost immediately halved the deficit when Brive conceded a needless penalty straight from the re-start, setting the tone for a string of errors that proved costly.

Orquera's third penalty made it 9-3 shortly before the half hour but the home side's intent was at times let down by a frenetic approach as they sought to maintain a commendably high tempo. A typical example of this was a quickly-taken tap penalty from in front of the posts, when surely calmer heads would have called for the regulation three points  on offer.

Of course, had it resulted in a try then no-one would have grumbled, but a six-point lead was poor return for the home side's up-front power in the first half.

Clermont coach Vern Cotter no doubt got stuck into his charges at the interval and 'Les Jaunards' emerged clearly fired up for the second half. The swing in momentum was evident almost immediately and James' second penalty made it 9-6 on 47 minutes after Clermont had forced the Brive scrum to disintegrate in a complete reverse of the earlier proceedings.

Ten minutes later it was all square after yet another Brive transgression, although in truth the home side were fortunate not to be behind by then after Aurélien Rougerie hacked through from halfway, only to be held up five metres from the line by a desperate Flutey covering tackle.

The England and British Lions centre made a couple of half-breaks himself as he tried to force a Brive opening, but centre partner Jamie Noon had a less impressive game with several knock-ons adding to the home crowd's growing unease.

Nerves were clearly playing a factor as the game wore on, and Clermont's increasing confidence hinted at a late 'smash and grab' win that would have been harsh on the home side. In the end the Brivistes just held out to claim a share of the points, and local honours, but if the Daniel Derichebourg backed club holds serious pretensions this season then they must start winning against the 'Big Four' - especially at home.