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ASM Clermont Auvergne will be looking to pick up all the spoils when they clash with Aironi in Monza in a bid to keep their Heineken Cup quarter-finals place alive. - 12/01/2012 16:51
ASM Clermont Auvergne will be looking to pick up all the spoils when they clash with Aironi in Monza in a bid to keep their Heineken Cup quarter-finals place alive.
The French side need to come home from Italy with a bonus point victory to keep them in the hunt, along with Ulster and the Leicester Tigers, for a place in the knockout stages.
Only three points separate the three sides in Pool 4 and the battle to see who qualifies for the last eight of the tournament promises to go down right to the wire and the final weekend of the Pool stages.
The Top 14 side will be wary of Aironi, who haven’t won a game in this season’s Pool so far, and their ability to cause a major upset whenever the Italians play on home soil.
Aironi, who are only in their second season in the Heineken Cup, famously beat Biarritz Olympique last season and recorded their first competitive victory as a franchise.
Clermont Auvergne will be determined to make sure they add the scalp of double Heineken Cup winners
Clermont Auvergne ran in 12 tries as they stormed to victory over Aironi and kept their hopes of a place in the this season’s Heineken Cup quarter-finals alive.
The French side really turned on the style against the Italian new boys and returned home with a much-needed bonus point to keep them in the hunt in Pool 4 to set up a winner takes all clash with Ulster in France next weekend.
Wings Sitiveni Sivivatu and Julien Malzieu both scored try hat-tricks, with full back Lee Byrne crossing for a brace of tries and Alexandre Lapandry, Brock James, Elvis Vermeulen all scored against the Italians.
Aironi, who are in only their second season of European rugby and haven’t won a game in the Pool this season, suffered their heaviest defeat in the tournament at the hands of the Top 14 outfit.
Clermont raced to a 47-0 lead at half-time and simply overwhelmed their Italian hosts with their pace and power in a devastating display of what the French side are capable on their day.
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