The Heineken Cup game between Clermont Auvergne and Ospreys at Stade Marcel Michelin on Saturday Jan 16, 2009.
The Ospreys surrendered control of their Heineken Cup destiny last night, crashing to a comprehensive defeat to Clermont Auvergne at the Stade Marcel Michelin stadium.
The Welsh region, who had gone into the game with a four-point lead at the top of Pool Three, were last night resigned to the fact that they are now battling for one of the two best-placed runners-up places when they entertain Leicester Tigers at the Liberty Stadium next Saturday.
Ospreys coach Sean Holley fully expects Clermont to secure the maximum five points at Viadana, who were crushed by Leicester, which would see the French side qualify for the quarter-finals automatically, even if the Tigers can claim a bonus-point victory themselves in Swansea.
“Unless Viadana can bolster their armoury by next week I don’t imagine a side like Clermont will have much difficulty (in winning with a bonus point),” Ospreys coach Sean Holley conceded. “We will just focus on winning the game next week and there is nothing better than perhaps the biggest game of the season to refocus our attention."
Even so, Holley will face a tough task picking up his players up tomorrow morning after this mauling, which could have been heavier still if Brock James, who kicked 17 points, not seen three kicks at goal rebound off the uprights.
Aside from a high octane opening quarter, during which the Ospreys scored a superb try by Tommy Bowe, who could have scored twice had he not received a push in the back from Julien Malzieu as he collected a pass from Lee Byrne in the opening minute, Clermont utterly dominated the contest.
During the Ospreys' purple patch, South African scrum-half Ricky Januarie also came agonisingly close to pinching a try when his stole the ball at the breakdown from his own chip ahead only to lose the ball as he reached for the line following a heavy tackle by Seremaia Bai.
At that stage the Ospreys lead by seven points but the French side’s juggernaut pack soon afterwards took a suffocating grip on the contest and squeezed the life out of the visitors.
With dominance at the line-out and scrum, the growing pressure forced the Ospreys into conceding a rash of penalties which allowed Clermont to dominate possession and territory.
Once James had nudged his side in front before half-time with three penalties and a dropped goal, it already seemed like there was no way back for the Ospreys.
And so it proved. James made amends for two penalty misses with a high ball that paved the way for his side’s first try as Aurelien Rougerie gathered Byrne’s fumble before putting Julien Malzieu away.
After Adam Jones was shown yellow card for kicking ball away from an offside position, Clermont turned the screw, with James landing another penalty before an intercept try by Napolioni Nalaga capped a glorious night for the French side.
Match details
Scoring: 0-5, Bowe try; 0-7, Biggar con; 3-7 James pen; 6-7, James pen; 9-7, James pen; 12-7, James drop goal; 17-7, Malzieu try; 20-7 Brock pen; 25-7 Nalaga try; 27-7 James con.
Clermont Auvergne: A Floch; N Nalaga, A Rougerie, S Bai, J Malzieu; B James, M Parra; T Domingo, M Ledesma, D Zirakashvili, J Cudmore, T Privat, J Bonnaire, A Lapandry, E Vermeulen.
Subs: V Debaty for Domingo (54), G Canale for Bai (58), M Scelzo for Zirakashvili (66), A Audebert for Vermeulen (62), B Russell for Floch (69), J Pierre for Privat (72)
Ospreys: L Byrne; T Bowe, S Parker, A Bishop, N Walker; D Biggar, R Januarie; P James, R Hibbard, A Jones, A Wyn Jones, J Thomas, J Collins, M Holah, R Jones. H Bennett for Hibbard (65), J Hook for Parker (67), C Griffiths for Walker (70-78), F Tiatia for Collins (72), I Gough for Thomas (78), J Nutbrown for Januarie (78), S Williams for Walker (78).
Yellow card: A Jones
Referee: D Pearson (RFU)
Attendance: 15,000
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