Very cruel scenario for Clermont… Very solid for an hour of play against the Sharks, ASM cracked in the last twenty minutes, conceding two tries from Vincent Koch (62nd) and Makazole Mapimpi (72nd) which tipped the score in favor of the South African franchise. The latter will therefore be there for the Challenge final on May 24 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which should leave the Auvergnats with a lot of regrets…
Because they had the match in hand at the Twikckenham Stoop, where the match had been relocated, until the hour mark, notably authors of beautiful offensive movements out wide which resulted in tries from Joris Jurand (7-3, 6th and 12-15, 20th) and Alex Newsome (22-18, 31st). The first, starting on the wing after Alivereti Raka’s withdrawal (finger infection) even thought he had scored a hat-trick in the 52nd minute but his try was ultimately refused after consulting the video for a forward when he tried to recover the ball after a low kick. At that point in the match, Christophe Urios’ men led 31-18 thanks to penalties passed by Anthony Belleau (37th, 40th+1 and 42nd), facing the Sharks without much inspiration.
Jurand believed in the hat-trick… and the penalty try
Clermont, reduced to 14 after the yellow card against their winger Bautista Delguy (58th), had another golden opportunity to widen the gap, again by Joris Jurand, but he was deliberately hit without the ball after a kick by fullback Aphelele Fassi a few meters from the goal line. The latter received a yellow card but the refereeing body, after long discussions, did not go as far as the penalty try (64th).
Behind, Anthony Belleau missed a penalty in his ropes (65th), which would have made it possible to ward off a threat which had come closer after Vincent Koch’s strong try (31-25, 62nd). Although outnumbered, in a crazy end to the match, the Sharks took the advantage on a try from Makazole Mapimpi, transformed into a corner by the impeccable scorer Siya Masuku (32-31, 72nd), this one even who had punished Clermont’s numerous mistakes in the first period with six penalties.
Between this indiscipline at the start of the match and this inability to keep the score at the end, Clermont missed a great opportunity to save its season. ASM will now have to mathematically ensure its maintenance in the Top 14. As for the Sharks, they will meet the winner of Gloucester-Treviso in the final on May 24 (kick-off at 4 p.m. this Saturday). This is the first time since the integration of the South African franchises two years ago that one of them has reached a final of “European” competitions.
