Clermont win to top pool
Clermont Auvergne booked a place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic 19-15 victory over Ulster on Saturday.
By Simon Dilger
Last Updated: 21/01/12 5:56pm
Clermont Auvergne booked a place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic 19-15 victory over Ulster on Saturday.
Ti'i Paulo's second half try proved the difference between the sides at Stade Marcel Michelin, after scrum halves Morgan Parra and Ruan Pienaar had waged war with the boot, claiming 14 and 15 points respectively.
The win saw Clermont stretch their unbeaten home record to 39 matches and emerge winners of Pool Four, but they were pushed all the way by a determined Ulster.
The Irish, who had gone into the match with passage into the last eight already guaranteed, failed in their 15th attempt to win on French soil and will have to settle for an away tie in the next stage of the competition.
The home side were first to put points on the board after their forwards earned a penalty when they demolished the Irish scrum in a maul from the lineout.
Pressure
Parra's quick tap and go was cut short by Dan Tuhoy but the Ulster lock had failed to retreat 10 metres, earning himself a spell in the sin bin for his endeavours.
From the resulting penalty Parra booted his side into the lead with a straightforward kick but four minutes later opposite number Pienaar redressed the balance after an infringement at the lineout.
Ulster survived their 10 minutes reduced to 14, but The French scrum had remained dominant from the outset and on 22 minutes another infringement up front gave Parra the chance to put his side back in front.
Six minutes later though the visitors claimed their first penalty at the scrum only for Pienaar 's long distance effort from 40 metres to drift wide.
Ulster began to up the pressure as the game passed the half hour mark and a great cut-out past from fly-half Ian Humphreys saw Trimble go close over on the right.
Ferocious
But when the Clermont defence were penalised for killing the ball Pienaar was able to make it six apiece with a beautifully struck penalty from out wide.
In the final minute of the half however, the South African missed a tough effort from 50 metres to take the teams into the interval on level terms.
Pienaar made no mistake when the hosts were pinged at the scrum five minutes after the restart though, slotting the penalty to put the Irish side in front for the first time.
But the lead did not last long as the hosts immediately pushed back into Ulster territory before an infringement just outside the 22 saw Parra to bring things back to level pegging.
Pienaar's answer came in the 56th minute when a the French side were penalised in front of their posts and the Ulster number nine had no trouble in making it 12-9.
Clermont's response was ferocious and the French side began to hammer at the Ulster line from just yards out as they went in search of the decisive try.
Frantic
The pressure paid off in the 62nd minute when replacement hooker Ti'i Paulo bludgeoned his way over from close range to send the home fans wild.
Parra struck the conversion to make it 16-12 and leave the Ulstermen needing a try going into the final quarter of an hour.
Pienaar however had different ideas and four minutes later he closed the gap to a single point with a well struck penalty straight down the middle after Clermont were caught offside at the scrum.
Again the French pushed back and with seven minutes to go Parra restored the four-point advantage with a penalty after Pedrie Wannenburg was penalised for going over the top.
A try would have seen Ulster ensure a home quarter-final but the home side held on for a frantic final five minutes to leave both sides looking likely to travel for their quarter-final ties.
