Updated 19.10
Clermont 38
Ulster 19
Adam McKendry at the Stade Marcel-Michelin
ULSTER STAGED A dramatic second half comeback at the Stade Marcel-Michelin but it wasn’t enough to overcome Clermont Auvergne, who won their Champions Cup clash 38-19.
It was Ulster’s first half that left them very little chance to win the game as they went in three tries and 21-0 down, although they gave a spirited reply in the second 40.
In exactly the same fashion as last week, Clermont hit Ulster with their first attack, this time Isaia Toeava was the one who scored, breaking the line and stepping inside Tommy Bowe to go over.
What was different from last week’s game was that Ulster were not as sharp as they were in Belfast as they passed up a couple of good opportunities to level a few minutes later.
And they were made to pay handsomely as Clermont flexed their muscles and scored two quick tries, both from Nick Abendanon, to give them some considerable breathing space.
The first was a simple case of numbers as the Clermont forwards battered their way through and then the ball was spun out the backs where Abendanon finished off a considerable overlap in the corner.
The second, however, was a piece of class from fly-half Lopez, who put in a pinpoint crossfield kick and Abendanon gladly caught it and went over for his second, and Clermont’s third.
It was all falling apart for Ulster, whose confidence seemed to have evaporated, and but for Parra uncharacteristically missing a penalty on the half hour mark, they could have been further behind.
But arguably the biggest blow was just before the break as the visitors attacked the Clermont line, only to opt for a scrum from a penalty and concede a penalty themselves, ending any chance of a score.
Instead it was Clermont who picked up the next score, as Lopez intercepted a pass from Pienaar a minute after the restart and sprinted the length of the pitch for what was the bonus point try.
It looked like Ulster might never break their deadlock, especially when Sean Reidy was denied a try by the TMO as he was held up over the line, but suddenly the visitors sparked into life.
First came a score from Tommy Bowe, who had acres of space on the wing after Ulster turned the ball over at the back of a scrum, and the winger had the presence of mind to go closer to the posts for Jackson to convert.
Then on the hour mark Ulster remarkably went over again, a dominant driving maul powered its way over and taking the credit at the back was replacement hooker Rob Herring.
The crowd by this point had fallen silent and the next sound they made were howls of derision as Bowe went over for his second five minutes later, crashing over from close range after Stuart McCloskey took them close.
However, crucially, Jackson missed the conversion keeping the Ulstermen outside of losing bonus point range, although in the end it wasn’t to prove costly.
With Morgan Parra having to leave the field injured it was down to Lopez to add a penalty to secure the win, before Paddy Jackson deliberately knocked the ball on at the line with two minutes to go, giving him a yellow card and Clermont and a penalty try.
Ulster’s European dream isn’t over yet, but they will need the maximum haul from their final two games to stand a chance, and that will be a tough ask.
Scorers for Clermont:
Tries: Toeava, Abendanon (2), Lopez, Penalty
Cons: Parra (4 from 4), Lopez (1 from 1)
Pen: Parra (0 from 1), Lopez (1 from 1)
Scorers for Ulster:
Tries: Bowe (2), Herring
Cons: Jackson (2 from 3)
ASM Clermont Auvergne:
(15-9) Isaia Toeava (Aurélien Rougerie 57), Noa Nakaitaci, Rémi Lamerat (Patricio Fernandez 78), Wesley Fofana, Nick Abendanon, Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra (Ludovic Radosavljevic 69); (1-8) Etienne Falgoux (Thomas Domingo 57), Benjamin Kayser (John Ulugia 54), Davit Zirakashvili (Michaël Simutoga 66) Arthur Iturria (Flip van der Merwe 66), Sébastien Vahaamahina, Viktor Kolelishvili (Peceli Yato 54), Alexandre Lapandry, Damien Chouly.
Ulster Rugby:
(15-9) Charles Piutau, Tommy Bowe (Jacob Stockdale 71), Luke Marshall (Darren Cave 50), Stuart McCloskey, Louis Ludik, Paddy Jackson (yellow card, 77′), Ruan Pienaar (Paul Marshall 65); (1-8) Kyle McCall (Andy Warwick 19), Rory Best (Rob Herring 60), Wiehahn Herbst (Rodney Ah You 50), Pete Browne (Kieran Treadwell 50), Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Chris Henry (Clive Ross 66), Sean Reidy.
Man of the Match: Rémi Lamerat (Clermont)
Attendance: 18,739
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
This article was updated with copy from the venue.
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No they’d be terrible. As a Forest fan, I think the team have been, for the most part playing good attacking football and scoring goals. They’ve been inconsistent – a little soft at the back is all. Due to the influx of cash, the standard in the EFL is far more technically proficient and tactically sophisticated league (at the top end at least) than it was when O’Neill and Keane last managed this division. I’ve seen nothing in their recent work to suggest they have the tactical savvy to do a job for Forest. They certainly don’t have tne man-management skills to get the best out of the modern professional footballer.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: yes because they got to the last 16 of the euros and 90 mins from a World Cup without having a clue about tactics. Sick of people churning out this shpeel about o Neil and Keane.
@Lorcan Cunningham: there was a horrible amount of luck and just plain heart and fight by the players to get there though. When the adrenaline of the Euros died, then the will of the players did too. There’s nothing motivating about playing the same aimless football for the following two years when smaller countries with less talent become more proficient and confident.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Nah! You’ve cherrypicked one example of things working out – and there’s probably one or two other properly “impressive” displays e.g. Germany and Serbia. (But even then what exactly was their tactical master stroke? ) And anyway, the last 12-18 months have been abject – deplorable even – with ZERO semblance of a tactical game plan . And on top of that, you need to be even better man-managers in a club environment because of player/agent-power. The two lads are beyond abysmal in that department.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: last 12 months things crumbled due to injuries/retirements. The lads were at the helm for some memorable nights for Irish football over their tenure, nights that had been lacking for a decade. Get off the o Neill’s a dinosaur bandwagon lads it’s embarrassing.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: I don’t think anybody could disagree with you . O’Neill would be absolute disaster for Forest. In fact I think he would be a disaster for any team. If you want to watch dross week in week out, get Big Sam. At least you would have some chance of promotion
In the context of management, to mention Brian Clough and Martin O’Neill in the same sentence is sacrilegious. Brian Clough was one of the greatest football managers who ever lived. Martin O’Neill was at best a journeyman manager.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: The Big Sam thing was a joke by the way. You should also pray the don’t get Big Sam.
@Lorcan Cunningham: I’m not on the “dinosaur bandwagon” apropos of nothing (like I’d never bring it up for the sake of getting a dig in – that’d be puerile, and indeed embarrassing) …I only make the case for his lack of tactical nous in making the case against his being considered for the role
@CrabaRev: Ha! I get you! To be honest, we’ve almost been relegated for the past few seasons, been banned from the transfer market for FPA transgressions, had parts of the stadium closed off etc. I just think that being 4 points off a promotion spot in mid January isn’t a bad place to be, and this manager should have been given more time and resources.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Not as embarrassing as O’Neill himself. From his amazing lack of on-field tactics, to his total lack of regimented training sessions (no practicing of set piece defending?!) to his contemptuous attitude to the Irish media and Tony O’Donoghue in particular.
The man belongs in the dustbin of history, and should be let nowhere near any professional setup.
Let’s see what they can do when they can actually buy in players unlike international football. The ‘we haven’t got the footballers’ excuse would work here
He wasn’t fired!
“RUNNN FORREST RUNNN”
I’d like to see Keane work as a No. 2 for a manager who plays attacking football such as Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez.
1. Karanka was not fired – he resigned, as per the club website.
2. In what parallel universe would either O’Neill or Keane be a good fit for Forest? A generation of Forest fans were brought up on free flowing passing football as practiced by Brian Clough. The younger ones want this to remain as the club ethos – we do not want to watch ‘$hit on a stick’ football with no real tactics as played by O’Neill sides. Clough once famously said “if god had wanted football to be played in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there”. O’Neill has never heeded his mentor’s coaching philosophy as a manager, somewhat ironic given that O’Neill was a cultured playmaker himself.
No, two coaches we definitely do not want to see employed at the City Ground are Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
@Colm O’Sullivan: I hope it’s neither of those two. I’ve a feeling it could be Jokanovic
Always liked O’Neill as a manager, gave Leicester a great belief when they were down and out! I don’t think he will be considered though…feel Marinakis will look for someone like Mark Hughes or David Moyes
That is ironic; good last line.
Daryl Murphy will end up there if Roy Keane goes there, Roy Keane and Daryl Murphy go together just as well as Harry Redknapp and Nico Kranjcar
@Eddie Dillon.: Daryl Murphy is already there.
@Eddie Dillon.: Ah jaysus Eddie