Ulster’s European Campaign Ended By Seven-Try Clermont

Ulster conceded 33 unanswered second-half points to Clermont Auvergne as they bowed out of the EPCR Challenge Cup at a sun-splashed Stade Marcel-Michelin.

Nick Timoney top and tailed an entertaining first half with well-taken tries, leaving Ulster just 20-14 behind at half-time after back rowers Peceli Yato and Pita-Gus Sowakula had both touched down for Clermont.

Anthony Belleau had an important 10-point contribution from the tee, while Ulster had to replace the injured Stewart Moore with Ethan McIlroy early on. Rob Herring and captain Iain Henderson also went off either side of the interval.

It duly turned into a nightmare closing 40 minutes for Richie Murphy’s charges, who had been buoyed by last week’s round of 16 win in Montpellier. Instead, Clermont went up through the gears and qualified for the semi-finals with aplomb.

Tries from Alex Newsome (43 minutes), Sowakula (59), replacement Rob Simmons (63), and player-of-the-match Yato (68) were all converted, before a free-flowing final attack saw replacement Joris Jurand break the 50-point mark.

Ulster drew encouragement from some solid early defence, along with a pacy break from Nathan Doak who spun the ball wide to Robert Baloucoune. Number 8 Timoney unfortunately knocked on a difficult offload inside the hosts’ 22.

A promising Clermont attack broke down between Newsome and Bautista Delguy, as Ulster adjusted to full-back Moore’s departure. They used successive penalties to press from a maul, and soon profited from further Clermont indiscipline.

Having turned down a simple three-pointer, Ulster chipped away from a tap penalty and despite Thibault Lanen stripping possession backwards, Timoney reacted quickest to scoop up the loose ball and drive over in the 12th minute. The conversion was successful from John Cooney.

However, Clermont were level by the end of the opening quarter. Skipper Baptiste Jauneau gave them initial momentum with a blindside break, and Sowakula’s inviting pass put Yato over past Alan O’Connor’s attempted tackle. Belleau added the extras.

Springbok Steven Kitshoff was prominent for the visitors, particularly in attack with a couple of big carries and a no-look offload near the left touchline. Henderson also made good ground, but Alivereti Raka covered a cross-field kick from Doak.

A Belleau penalty gave the Frenchmen the lead for the first time, and when Fijian winger Raka’s kick chase was ended by obstruction from Baloucoune, the Clermont out-half split the posts again for a 13-7 advantage.

Raka soon sprung through from a ruck, with his kick through leading to a Jauneau-won turnover penalty. Clermont were clinical off the lineout, as Leon Darricarrere ran hard at Doak and the quick ball sent Sowakula powering over to the right of the posts.

Following his 36th-minute converted effort, the New Zealand-capped back rower foiled a Doak break with a tap tackle, but Ulster converted some late pressure into points.

A maul developed into some forward carries, and Timoney, backed up by O’Connor, brilliantly broke through to ground the ball despite the cover defence. A cracking conversion from Cooney put Murphy’s side back within a converted score.

Unfortunately for the travelling support, that was as good as it got for the Ulstermen who were playing their fourth successive away fixture. Clermont seized the initiative on the resumption, and had the power and pace to take their chances.

A missed penalty from Belleau was swiftly followed by a smartly-created third try. Scrum half Jauneau was at the heart of it, combining with Raka whose offload was deftly juggled and gathered by Australian Newsome, above Cooney, for a 40-metre run-in from the left wing.

Delguy on target with the conversion, making it 27-14, and with some set-piece issues to iron out and Kitshoff having to come off, Ulster had it all to do.

The game was becoming looser and looser in humid conditions, and replacement Alexandre Fischer, along with Yato, ensured that Clermont kept winning the breakdown battle.

David McCann was pinged for not rolling away on the hour mark, setting up a monster Clermont maul which delivered Sowakula’s second try. Wallabies centurion Simmons delighted the home crowd with a quick-fire fifth score soon after.

Tom Stewart’s lineout throw, inside the Ulster 22, was pinched by Simmons at the front, with Sowakula’s classy offload and Yato’s spin out of a tackle putting the try-line within reach before Simmons crashed over from a Sebastien Bezy pass.

Belleau converted both tries and then Bezy added the extras after openside Yato had completed his brace. Ulster’s replacement front row came under pressure in the scrum, and another swarming attack was finished off by the influential Fijian international.

There was no late consolation score for a well-beaten Ulster, with replacement Marcus Rea’s dive over the top of a ruck the closest they came. They were also turned over at a subsequent maul.

Instead, there was some last-minute stardust from Clermont as the tireless Yato followed up good work from Sowakula and Bezy, linking with Theo Giral who put fellow replacement Jurand over out wide, at the end of some fine interplay.