HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINAL Saracens 3 Clermont 22:A SIGNIFICANT slice of unwanted English history was made on a damp, grey Easter day in Watford. Aside from the years when they boycotted the tournament, the Premiership clubs have never previously failed to have a presence in the semi-finals of both European club competitions, as will be their fate this season. The defeat by the Michelin-funded giants of Clermont Auvergne yesterday was not entirely without honour but the English are now officially down and out.
The top bananas of the Massif Central do not always travel well but the all-star backline of Sitiveni Sivivatu, Aurelien Rougerie, Wesley Fofana and Julien Malzieu gives a clue to the spending power at their disposal.
Following the obliteration of Premiership leaders Harlequins in Toulon in the Amlin Challenge Cup on Friday night, the feeling grows that the gap is slowly widening on all fronts.
Even before kick-off the Saracens chairman, Nigel Wray, could be heard repeating that the salary-cap disparity “has to be sorted”.
Saracens showed up well enough in the lineout and generally held firm in midfield but virtually all the collisions were won by players in white jerseys, normally Sarries’ speciality.
Clermont scored only one try but their high-quality team score neatly summed up the contest, big forwards making ominous ground before the outstanding Rougerie and Morgan Parra coolly worked Lee Byrne over with two spare men outside him.
Clermont’s forwards had already taken a firm grip of the scrums and it mattered not when David Skrela departed early with a leg injury. His replacement, Brock James, nailed three precise kicks in the first 13 minutes while a solitary Owen Farrell penalty in the 15th minute was all Saracens could muster.
James did miss two subsequent kickable attempts but the Australian finished with a man-of-the-match haul of 17 points.
Admittedly Sarries were without their influential flankers Jacques Burger, Andy Saull and Kelly Brown, all injured, but the best sides in Europe have the depth to cope with such situations.
There is also a lack of attacking variety which becomes increasingly important as the standard of opposition rises. This year’s Heineken final will be played at Twickenham but local heroes will be conspicuous by their absence.
SARACENS: Goode, Strettle, Farrell, B Barritt, Wyles, Hodgson, Wigglesworth, Gill, Brits, Stevens, Borthwick, Botha, Melck, Fraser, Joubert. Replacements: Short for Farrell (55), Powell for Wyles (69), de Kock for Wigglesworth (55), Vunipola for Gill (60), Nieto for Stevens (69), Kruis for Botha (55), Wray for Melck (51), George for Fraser (67).
CLERMONT AUVERGNE: Byrne, Sivivatu, Rougerie, Fofana, Malzieu, Skrela, Parra, Faure, Kayser, Zirakashvili, Cudmore, Hines, Bonnaire, Lapandry, Vermeulen. Replacements: James for Skrela (3), Radoslavjevic for Parra (77), Debaty for Faure (50), Paulo for Kayser (60), Kotze for Zirakashvili (57), Pierre for Cudmore (57), Bardy for Vermeulen (55). Not Used: Buttin.
Referee: Alain Rolland(Ireland).
Guardian service
