ASM Clermont Auvergne dominated RC Toulon 27-10 in the 6th round of Top 14 on Saturday at Stade Marcel-Michelin. This victory, their third of the season, lifts Clermont to seventh place with 14 points. The Auvergnats regretted missing the offensive bonus despite their superiority.
Clermont confirmed its home form by beating Toulon 27-10 in the 6th round of Top 14, played on Saturday at Stade Marcel-Michelin. Following a heavy win against Montauban (84-31), ASM chains a second consecutive home success, but without the offensive bonus due to late clumsiness.
The first half was one-sided for the Clermontois, dominant in set pieces and solid with the ball. They opened the scoring with a penalty try in the 17th minute, after a maul illegally stopped by the Varois. Australian Alex Newsome, moved to center, then scored a try in the 30th. New Zealand fly-half Harry Plummer added two penalties (11th and 37th), leading to a 20-3 halftime score. Plummer left injured in the ribs in the second half.
Upon returning from the locker room, in double numerical superiority thanks to three yellow cards for Toulon, Clermont ended the suspense with a double from Newsome in the 48th, on a counter after a lost Toulon lineout. The visitors, undisciplined and unstable in set pieces, only scored a long penalty from Melvyn Jaminet (28th) and a powerful try from Englishman Zack Mercer (56th), thus denying ASM the bonus.
In the final minutes, Clermont missed opportunities: a countered maul (66th), a lost throw (74th), and two knock-ons (75th and 80th), the last two meters from the line. Thanks to this win, ASM reaches 14 points, tied with Toulon, Pau, Bordeaux, and Toulouse, the latter two facing off on Sunday.