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ASM Clermont Auvergne welcome Ospreys to the Stade Marcel-Michelin on Saturday afternoon for a crucial European Rugby Champions Cup clash with quarter-final places up from grabs from Pool 2
ASM Clermont Auvergne welcome Ospreys to the Stade Marcel-Michelin on Saturday afternoon for a crucial European Rugby Champions Cup clash with quarter-final places up from grabs from Pool 2, live on BT Sport.
- French Top 14 giants ASM Clermont Auvergne head into Round 6 with control of Pool 2, three points ahead of Ospreys, while defending European champions Saracens are lingering five points adrift and face bottom side Northampton Saints in a game running parallel in Barnet.
- With the pool winner and three best placed runners-up progressing to the final eight, there is everything to play for in Pool 2 as the Champions Cup competition intensifies.
- ASM Clermont's Auvergne's lone defeat in the competition came in a shock result against Northampton Saints, but in seven matches with Ospreys the French club have only won four, meaning victory for Ospreys could seem them level scores with their Pool 2 rivals as well as clinch a quarter-final spot.
- Ospreys were defeated 26-21 when the sides met back in Round 1 at the Liberty Stadium with Alivereti Raka and Scott Spedding both scoring for ASM Clermont Auvergne, albeit neither having made the starting line-up this weekend, while Ospreys have named a side littered with Wales internationals as Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb, Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric all start.
- Set piece play is likely to feature heavily at the Stade Marcel-Michelin and Alexandre Lapandry will be expected to lead from the front with 23 line-out wins to his name already in the Champions Cup, while Ospreys full-back Dan Evans ranks fifth in Europe for defenders beaten, having given 19 men the slip this term.
ASM Clermont Auvergne secured a home quarter-final and ended Ospreys' interest in the Champions Cup with victory at Stade Marcel-Michelin. - 20/01/2018 18:01
ASM Clermont Auvergne secured a home quarter-final and ended Ospreys’ interest in the Champions Cup with victory at Stade Marcel-Michelin.
- Former England wing Nick Abendanon opened the scoring after 24 minutes. Morgan Parra converted and added two penalties to put the hosts 13-0 up at half time, before Dan Biggar's late penalty went wide.
- Jeff Hassler was held up right on the line for Ospreys and Owen Watkin was denied by Abendanon as luck seemed to desert the Welsh region.
- However, Scott Baldwin helped put Ashley Beck over in the corner for a deserved score on 58 minutes, with Dan Biggar converting to bring Ospreys back within six points.
- Parra stretched Clermont's lead with a long-range penalty, Greg Laidlaw added another three points from the tee and then Luke McAlister's try finally broke the Ospreys' resistance.
- Biggar's night finished early as he left the field with a serious looking shoulder injury.
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