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| Clermont Auvergne hand a clinical hammering to Northampton | Clermont Auvergne hand a clinical hammering to Northampton |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Forget Northampton, this felt like a defeat for all of English rugby. England’s champion club, 10 points clear at the head of a Premiership otherwise vibrant in its competitiveness, were subjected to a hammering, pure and simple, so utterly without remorse or ray of sunlight that it is hard not to see it as a slap in the face to anyone who thought English rugby might be on the up. | Forget Northampton, this felt like a defeat for all of English rugby. England’s champion club, 10 points clear at the head of a Premiership otherwise vibrant in its competitiveness, were subjected to a hammering, pure and simple, so utterly without remorse or ray of sunlight that it is hard not to see it as a slap in the face to anyone who thought English rugby might be on the up. |
| It felt like that in the heat of the moment. A more sobering, boring assessment might be to remind ourselves of this very same Clermont Auvergne team’s hammering at the hands of Saracens in last season’s quarter-final – and Clermont are nothing if not wild in their inconsistency. | It felt like that in the heat of the moment. A more sobering, boring assessment might be to remind ourselves of this very same Clermont Auvergne team’s hammering at the hands of Saracens in last season’s quarter-final – and Clermont are nothing if not wild in their inconsistency. |
| But Saracens’ win was a clinical defend-and-parry display against a side who just could not land a punch. This was an utter annihilation. | But Saracens’ win was a clinical defend-and-parry display against a side who just could not land a punch. This was an utter annihilation. |
| Related: Leinster 18-15 Bath | Champions Cup quarter-final | |
| We shall watch with interest how Northampton respond to this. Their season is hardly a lost cause, but there seems to be a fault line in their game, this humiliation an echo of those suffered at the hands of Racing Métro earlier this season and of Leinster last. | We shall watch with interest how Northampton respond to this. Their season is hardly a lost cause, but there seems to be a fault line in their game, this humiliation an echo of those suffered at the hands of Racing Métro earlier this season and of Leinster last. |
| Now they emerge from the furnace that is the Stade Marcel Michelin, with its infernal chanting and pounding, its sulphurous yellows, as men bewildered. Truly, this stadium is a circle of hell for any team obliged to face Clermont in this mood. | Now they emerge from the furnace that is the Stade Marcel Michelin, with its infernal chanting and pounding, its sulphurous yellows, as men bewildered. Truly, this stadium is a circle of hell for any team obliged to face Clermont in this mood. |
| The insults for English rugby were everywhere. Courtney Lawes was removed at half-time for tactical reasons, presumably to concentrate on other matters, once this game had gone, as it had by then, with the scoreline reading 27-0. Dylan Hartley looked lost, even his lineout throwing disintegrating in the second half, when Northampton might have been expected to play without pressure at least. | The insults for English rugby were everywhere. Courtney Lawes was removed at half-time for tactical reasons, presumably to concentrate on other matters, once this game had gone, as it had by then, with the scoreline reading 27-0. Dylan Hartley looked lost, even his lineout throwing disintegrating in the second half, when Northampton might have been expected to play without pressure at least. |
| And the final insult to the English was the performance of Nick Abendanon, once more the tormentor of his countrymen. He had been man of the match when Clermont saw off Saracens in the final pool game here in January, and he was awarded it again here. In truth, though, you could have taken your pick for the match gong. | And the final insult to the English was the performance of Nick Abendanon, once more the tormentor of his countrymen. He had been man of the match when Clermont saw off Saracens in the final pool game here in January, and he was awarded it again here. In truth, though, you could have taken your pick for the match gong. |
| “It’s one of the worst defeats I’ve experienced,” Northampton’s director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, admitted. “We’ve had a few shockers and that’s definitely one of them. We’re disappointed because clearly we wanted to progress and have the chance of a home semi-final. We have to take this on the chin. We were well beaten. We came up against a very, very good side. | “It’s one of the worst defeats I’ve experienced,” Northampton’s director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, admitted. “We’ve had a few shockers and that’s definitely one of them. We’re disappointed because clearly we wanted to progress and have the chance of a home semi-final. We have to take this on the chin. We were well beaten. We came up against a very, very good side. |
| “Clermont played very well and we didn’t. When you’re losing 27-0 at half-time, that’s basically game over. You come into these games knowing you have a chance, but that you’ll have to play to your very best. We didn’t do that and so were well beaten. Now our focus has to be on retaining the Premiership, it’s as simple as that.” | “Clermont played very well and we didn’t. When you’re losing 27-0 at half-time, that’s basically game over. You come into these games knowing you have a chance, but that you’ll have to play to your very best. We didn’t do that and so were well beaten. Now our focus has to be on retaining the Premiership, it’s as simple as that.” |
| The Saints were exposed to a calibre of rugby they just do not come across at home. The roll call of excellence started in the front-row and ran back through the likes of Sébastien Vahaamahina, a menace at the breakdown, Julien Bonnaire, the old maestro of the back row, via the astonishing Wesley Fofana to a back three as deadly as any, anywhere, any time. How could Northampton not look pedestrian? | The Saints were exposed to a calibre of rugby they just do not come across at home. The roll call of excellence started in the front-row and ran back through the likes of Sébastien Vahaamahina, a menace at the breakdown, Julien Bonnaire, the old maestro of the back row, via the astonishing Wesley Fofana to a back three as deadly as any, anywhere, any time. How could Northampton not look pedestrian? |
| Indeed, they were lucky to be only 27 points down at half-time. Clermont were more than generous with their squandering of overlaps in that first-half masterclass. Noa Nakaitaci was the first to ignore one, but he cut inside anyway and despite a half-tackle and scramble made it to the line for the game’s first try, just past the 10-minute mark. | Indeed, they were lucky to be only 27 points down at half-time. Clermont were more than generous with their squandering of overlaps in that first-half masterclass. Noa Nakaitaci was the first to ignore one, but he cut inside anyway and despite a half-tackle and scramble made it to the line for the game’s first try, just past the 10-minute mark. |
| At 10-0, Northampton were offered a way back in, when the admirable Calum Clark won a penalty at the breakdown but Stephen Myler pushed it wide. A shame, because the man opposite him was playing the game of his life. We did not mention Brock James in that brief roll call, but let us focus on him now. He has lost his gig as playmaker and darling of the raucous Clermont crowd since the arrival of Camille Lopez, but with the latter’s injury he has been given a chance to regain the stage. | At 10-0, Northampton were offered a way back in, when the admirable Calum Clark won a penalty at the breakdown but Stephen Myler pushed it wide. A shame, because the man opposite him was playing the game of his life. We did not mention Brock James in that brief roll call, but let us focus on him now. He has lost his gig as playmaker and darling of the raucous Clermont crowd since the arrival of Camille Lopez, but with the latter’s injury he has been given a chance to regain the stage. |
| He had the ball on a string, off his boot and out of his hand. His pin-point pass put Nakaitaci away for his second, but that was just garnish after Abendanon and Fofana had torn Northampton apart on the counter. And the Clermont passing reached perfect pitch just before the break, when James and Fofana combined to send Abendanon jinking through. Fofana then cantered up on the inside shoulder of England’s forgotten full-back for try number three – 27-0. | He had the ball on a string, off his boot and out of his hand. His pin-point pass put Nakaitaci away for his second, but that was just garnish after Abendanon and Fofana had torn Northampton apart on the counter. And the Clermont passing reached perfect pitch just before the break, when James and Fofana combined to send Abendanon jinking through. Fofana then cantered up on the inside shoulder of England’s forgotten full-back for try number three – 27-0. |
| Related: Concussion: Rugby is making progress, but not enough | Andy Bull | |
| After that, the second half was never going to be much more than an exercise in serving time. We thought we might see the traditional upturn in performance of the humiliated team, the game lost, and Northampton did threaten a couple of times – in an earnest, workmanlike fashion. But they could not shake of the air of incoherence that dogged them throughout. Indeed, their best chance went to ground, and Abendanon ran the length for 37-0 just shy of the hour. The agony of Northampton in the inferno went up another degree. | After that, the second half was never going to be much more than an exercise in serving time. We thought we might see the traditional upturn in performance of the humiliated team, the game lost, and Northampton did threaten a couple of times – in an earnest, workmanlike fashion. But they could not shake of the air of incoherence that dogged them throughout. Indeed, their best chance went to ground, and Abendanon ran the length for 37-0 just shy of the hour. The agony of Northampton in the inferno went up another degree. |
| Alex Waller did manage a consolation try in the final quarter – while Bonnaire was doing time in the bin – but even that was spoiled by the young prop’s angry forearm to the face of John Ulugia in the aftermath. Waller was lucky to stay on the field, but Northampton had been comprehensively played off it. | Alex Waller did manage a consolation try in the final quarter – while Bonnaire was doing time in the bin – but even that was spoiled by the young prop’s angry forearm to the face of John Ulugia in the aftermath. Waller was lucky to stay on the field, but Northampton had been comprehensively played off it. |
| “We talked about needing to make a good start and shutting the crowd up, but completely the opposite happened,” Mallinder said. “Clermont made a cracking start, put us under pressure and we clearly didn’t compete in the first half in any of the areas. The set piece didn’t function. The physicality wasn’t there. We couldn’t keep hold of the ball, spilling it too often. Our kicking and kick chase were also poor.” | “We talked about needing to make a good start and shutting the crowd up, but completely the opposite happened,” Mallinder said. “Clermont made a cracking start, put us under pressure and we clearly didn’t compete in the first half in any of the areas. The set piece didn’t function. The physicality wasn’t there. We couldn’t keep hold of the ball, spilling it too often. Our kicking and kick chase were also poor.” |
| French rugby may be a shambles at international level, but at club level it is threatening to break free from les autres. Over to you, Saracens and Wasps. | French rugby may be a shambles at international level, but at club level it is threatening to break free from les autres. Over to you, Saracens and Wasps. |