Inches separated Clermont from the Heineken Cup final last
season but today’s chance for redemption against Munster is seen as theirs to
lose, with Rob Penney’s men being given a 12 point handicap start upon their
daunting trip to the French capital.
Some would say that defeat for a side that has only lost one
home game from their last 60 matches – and that an unlucky one to a Leinster
side that would then go onto beat Ulster by 30 points in the final – is
inconceivable , but there are some areas of weakness for the visitors to
attack.
Clermont were very impressive in their 36-14 win against
Montpellier but were significantly outplayed in the first 20 minutes and only
went in ahead thanks to a combination of the innovation of Morgan Parra along
with the desperate injury to Francois Trinh Duc early on in the game. Clermont
usually take time to find their stride into a game, but Montpellier’s early
force at the breakdown, scrum, fierce counter rucking, and blistering line
speed had Clermont rattled – and those are all classic Munster trademarks.
Rob Penney has tried to create a more expansive style of
play this season which has had very mixed results from the sublime to the
ridiculous but it was their traditional power and territory game that allowed
them to turn over Harlequins and if the same tactics can be applied towards a
Clermont side short of Gerard Vosloo – crucial to overturning at blindside then
Penney’s men will feel like they have a chance.
However, this is a far tougher assignment than the one they
had against a Harlequins side who were beginning to hit the physical wall of
what has been a long, hard season, coming into the game on the back of three
defeats after an LV Cup final success that had taken a lot of out of them.
Unable to respond once Munster’s tremendous backrow had stopped them in their
tracks and Ronan O’Gara was reversing every attack, Quins don’t boast the pack,
or according to league results, all out quality of Clermont.
Preventing Clermont is also an 80-minute effort. Montpellier
were unlucky to lose Trinh Duc so abruptly, but once Fofana touched down they
were unleashed and quickly turned a one score game into a rout. Munster have
the capabilities to slow them down and do damage if getting Conor Murray quick
ball, but it has taken just one opportunity for the backline of Napolioni
Nalaga (six tries in Europe from 6 games), Wesley Fofana (five tries in six)
and Sitiveni Sivivatu (three in six) to break loose and no team is yet to
respond to that.
In hindsight – as impressive as Munster’s efforts were –
Quins, according to some, may have lacked a proper test in Europe this season
before then, which is not something that you could level at Clermont, who were
able to make more than 10 changes and still draw at Toulon in Marsellie – who
needed an interception try to come back into the game – while then taking apart
Toulose 39-17.
In the same time Munster came up against Leinster at Thomond
Park and lost a hard fought game 22-16 against the same Leinster side that
Clermont beat home and away in the group stages with the benefit of a stonewall
TMO try disallowed, and while to write them off is folly, Clermont are
rightfully heavy favourites for their first Heineken Cup final.
A handicap of 12 points is a little large for us considering
that we are heavily on Clermont ante post – in any case, only 7 semi finals
have been won by a bigger margin - and Munster are well capable of staying
within that or the 6 point half time start they’re given, so if the weather
stays good –there’s rain about - then
the advice would be to back a higher scoring second half, but this is one we’ll
sit out, albeit with very nervous, bitten yellow fingernails.
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