Heineken Cup 1/4F - Clermont v Leiceister

[Feicarsinn]

This is where the salary cap is killing English sides in Europe. Leicester's lack of depth is really being exposed in the scrum in the last 20.

 

[Aristodemus]

Ah well, great effort from Leicester.

 

[ruggabee]

Ah man that's bad.. No support. I thought Leicester were gona nick it there.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Thats where so many players seem to lack the top two inches; I know it's a pressure situation but you have to think about your support in plays like that

 

[Jaguares]

This is where the salary cap is killing English sides in Europe. Leicester's lack of depth is really being exposed in the scrum in the last 20.

Yeah but English rugby could get the same money than French rugby? I doubt it. And the others 6N countries like Ireland has less professional teams

 

[Peat]

Yeah but English rugby could get the same money than French rugby? I doubt it. And the others 6N countries like Ireland has less professional teams

English rugby as a whole - no. Leicester do have the money though, just are being prevented from spending it by the cap.

 

[gaston le gaff]

The Stade Marcem Michelin once again stays intact good effort from the Felines but they become victim No 75........ very close and entertaining game but nobody comes to Clermont and wins ONLY CLERMONT.

 

[gaston le gaff]

English rugby as a whole - no. Leicester do have the money though, just are being prevented from spending it by the cap.

There are plenty of ways around that if the club wanted to get better players and spend the money maybe they don't.......................

 

[ratsapprentice]

They would not be able to get away with spending double the salary cap.

 

[Big Ewis]

Clermont were very good in the first half. Not so much in the second. Overall they weren't as good as they should've been.
Tigers look lethargic in the 1st half, and very threatening in the second. All of a sudden the class of their backs showed, as if they just felt like pushing the start button in the last 40 in stead of the whole 80.
Then again, some of the Tigers' lethargy was caused by Clermont's brilliant defense, and some of Clermont's faults came from a hungry Tigers' squad in the 2nd.

But from a Clermont's perspective, as the team that will advance and play some more HC Rugby, one can feel comfortable in that many mistakes were unforced by the visitors' pressure and some of those many flaws can be fine-tuned for the next date in the semis.

Chouly player of the match. 2014, the year Chouly becomes a true test class flanker/No.8.

Fofana was brilliant on that try with that awesome lightning speed pass to Zirakashvili and back to him in perfect position inside for the good stuff.

Tigers were good. Mega props to them for coming into the volcano and making us all doubt till the very last play and whistle. But at the end of the day, they were in deed just another number. Number 75 to be exact. And the adventures continue for the mighty ASM Clermont. But surely those Tigers are (amongst) favorites for the Premiership Cup.

 

[Maverick1987]

First of all big congrats to Clermont . Both teams were outstanding . Wish parra would stop rolling around on the loot like Samir Nasri though just making a bad name for himself .

My only other wish is Rolland is banned from refereeing rugby all together . He misses so many things it's unbelievable ! Someone is paying him to do a job ffs !

 

[jaunard06]

I'm still scratching my head trying to understand how ASM put themselves in such a mess...

As often since the beginning of the season, Clermont doesn't show any realism, they should have scored 2 more tries in 1st half when the opposing side still were'nt into the game, and one another one when they were down to 14 near the end of the match. Especially there, actually, we have a scrum where they just can't compete being one man less and we manage to give back the ball.

Of course, as usual we got the "special" refereeing on scrums which keeps being hilarious it would not have been very close to make us lose a match that we controlled from the beginning to the 79th minute, despite that try where we simply forget to defend...how is that possible is beyond me, and that's not the first time that season that XV brains suddenly disconnect at the same time.

Still, we just can't keep on wasting so much points. We know refereeing will be against us, it seems to be part of the rules now, so we cannot take it as an excuse,
And thus we must be more clinical: it's like if we try to find the more complicated way to score, where an Irish province would simply add pick-and-gos one after another until they are beyond the line: boring, but works most of the time and that wins a game. French flair and moments of individual brilliance are good when you lead with 20 points ahead and only 10 minutes remain, otherwise it's ridiculous.

Anyways, there were also good surprises:
- we found Fofana today...finally,
- the forwards were promised a hard time and they gave a hard time,
- discipline was correct until the last minutes of the game where fatigue start to make some players lose their coherence,
- Rougerie...OMG what a player, I should be used to seeing him playing so well but that's a continuous joy,
- James still leads the game with so much intelligence...vry good foot ,game as usual.

 

[Big Ewis]

I was in deed happy to see Fofana and Rougerie playing at a high level. Rougerie is a fine captain.
The refereeing was pretty shhit at times. Quite a few calls went against Clermont for e.g.

On that scrum where ASM totally push the Tigers back, Domingo has Mulipola literally hanging up in the air, his feet were off the ground. It was an amazing sight. Anyways, no penalty there and then we lose the next one because Clément Ric pops up on the right.

Brock James was good yes, but he kicked too many when he got the ball, at times he was literally just giving the ball back when he had people on the left and right aplenty.

Cudmore had a few good opportunities to pass wide but chose to attack the middle, that was a bit of a shame.

And granted Clermont REALLY should've scored that try when they had that big scrum 10m from the line and 15 on 14...they definitely left a few good chances fly away that game...but all is well and now, Twickenham and the Saracens, and also that Top 14 ***le.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Maverick I don't think Leicester can claim to have been outstanding, really. Its a credit to them that they hung on in there despite playing poorly in the first half. But we all knew before the game that to have a chance they would have to take their chances, and they didn't always do that.

Tuilagi was at fault for not passing twice. The first one, early in the first half at 0 - 0 - Clermont would have scored, without question. Poor decision making by Tuilagi not to offload slightly earlier, and on the part of Tait for not staying right on his shoulder.

Ball retention through the phases not good enough. And inadequate support for the ball carrier. On another day, Tiggers might have lost by 20 + .
Still, Clermonts home run will come to the end; I just don't have a bloody clue who's gonna do it!

 

[Big Ewis]

oh man, the team that takes down Clermont in Stade Michelin, damn, it's going to be bigger than beating the All-Blacks !! They'll be forever immortalized as greater than the streak itself !!

I can just imagine later, when one of the players on that team retires:

the scene takes place in a post-apocalyptic near future, there's people at a dark bar somewhere and they're talking about that legendary squad that broke the streak in Clermont, and the man comes out of the shadows from the back of the room in a rugged old cloak and says "hehe....I.....was part of that team..." and then of course nobody believes him and he is persecuted everywhere he goes and the plot moves towards him trying to get his legitimacy back and he meets his only friend in the story the sideline ref from that game and he goes on fighting mighty orcs and flying cyclops panthers and awwww shhit this isn't going anywhere now...

 

[gaston le gaff]

What the sh** are you smoking BE? save some for me it certainly sounds as thopugh it works!!!!!!!!!

 

[McTallshort]

Gutted, sick of seeing our pack turned over by French and Irish teams. Need to find a better No8 and loose head from somewhere.

 

[ratsapprentice]

You've got two pretty fine LH's... what you need is a new TH so that you don't have to flog Cole and can play Logo at LH again.

 

[Big Ewis]

Cole wouldn't have made a difference, in the scrum at least, but that's neither here nor there.

 

[ratsapprentice]

You've completely misunderstood what we're talking about.

Tigers were playing with two LH's yesterday (and since Cole got injured).
If they had Cole then they would have been able to swap Ayerza at 50-60 mins - and if they had a good backup TH then they could have done the same.
Their prop stocks as they are - they were unable/unwilling to do either.