Match Report: Northampton Saints 46 – 24 Clermont Auvergne

A Tommy Freeman-inspired Northampton Saints roared into the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final stage for a second successive season with comprehensive victory over Clermont Auvergne.

The England winger crossed twice in the first half and once in the second to complete his hat-trick on a try-filled Friday evening at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens. Juarno Augustus also crossed the whitewash twice and Fin Smith and Henry Pollock got in on the act to wrap up a 46-24 victory.

A fourth win in five Champions Cup games this season sees Phil Dowson’s side progress into the last eight, where they will enjoy home advantage once more back at the Gardens against Castres on Saturday 12 April (kick-off: 5.30pm).

FIRST HALF

The first third of the game was loaded with thrills and spills as Clermont built a ten-point lead, only for Saints to swarm back and pile on 27 unanswered points.

After being denied a second-minute score when Fritz Lee’s early effort was ruled out by the TMO, Anthony Bellau gained some consolation with a successful penalty minutes later to open the scoring. 

Clermont moved further ahead as they flexed their considerable muscle with a multi-phase play that concluded with George Moala reaching over, presenting Bellau with the easiest of conversions.

Fresh from his eye-catching contributions a week previously, Pollock picked up where he left off against Sale Sharks with the first of three first-half turnovers, and after initially rolling the dice with a kick to corner, pragmatism took over with the next penalty from a central position and Smith levelled the scores from the tee. 

At the 20-minute mark, Saints pulled ahead when a quickly-tapped penalty saw George Hendy go close down the left wing, upon the recycle, Alex Mitchell perfectly delayed the pass for his half-back partner for club and country, Smith, to scorch through a gap and ground before adding the extra two points for good measure.

Bellau pulled a penalty wide then Bautista Delguy seemed destined to finish in the right corner, only for a despairing outstretched hand from Mitchell to send the winger tumbling. It proved to be a huge swing moment in the game as Saints grabbed two tries in five minutes courtesy of Freeman’s brace. 

After pouncing to win another breakdown penalty, Pollock tapped the award and the backs did the rest for Freeman to breeze over for his first of the evening.

It was another blond-haired forward who provided the moment of inspiration for the next score as Alex Coles kicked behind enemy lines when cantering up field. Clermont made a mess of the resulting line out allowing Curtis Langdon to pounce and Fraser Dingwall’s looping pass presented Freeman with another clean run to the line. 

The rapid tempo of Saints’ game saw Clermont haemorrhage penalties as they lost both Thomas Ceyte and Sebastien Bezy to the sin bin before half-time. 

With a two-man advantage and in first-half stoppage time, Smith kicked to the corner and after Josh Kemeny athletically pulled in a looping lineout to the tail, Augustus arrived on an unstoppable line to finish, with Smith adding the conversion for a 17-point led at the interval. 

SECOND HALF

Five minutes after the restart, Augustus pushed Saints further ahead when Hendy returned a clearance kick from deep inside his own half, bamboozling the defence with his footwork to release the South African No.8 on a 20-metre sprint to finish.

Restored to a full complement of players, and having emptied their bench with more than half-an-hour remaining, Clermont roared back into the game with Alivereti Raka skipping clear down the left before Folau Fainga’a rumbled over from a maul and suddenly the gap was just ten points.

Nervous tension that was mildly brewing in the stands was eased when Freeman completed his treble on the hour mark, rounding Raka after Saints twice put width on the ball leaving Clermont chasing shadows. 

The party atmosphere in cinch Stadium was dampened as Clermont’s veteran forward Lee was stretchered from the field of play that prompted a lengthy stoppage in play. 

But cheers soon returned as Freeman grubbered in behind and seemed destined to ground himself, only for Pollock to sneak his hand in front and land the final points of a comprehensive Champions Cup win.

LINE-UPS

SAINTS: 15 Ramm, 14 Freeman, 13 Odendaal, 12 Dingwall (c), 11 Hendy, 10 Smith, 9 Mitchell; 1 Iyogun, 2 Langdon, 3 Davison, 4 Mayanavanua, 5 Coles, 6 Kemeny, 7 Pollock, 8 Augustus.
Replacements: 16 Walker, 17 West, 18 Green, 19 Lockett, 20 Scott-Young, 21 Pearson, 22 James, 23 Hutchinson.

CLERMONT: 15 Newsome, 14 Delguy, 13 Simone, 12 Moala, 11 Raka, 10 Belleau, 9, Bezy; 1 Akhaladze, 2 Massa, 3 Ojovan, 4 Simmons, 5, Ceyte, 6 Sowakula, 7 Tixeront, 8 Lee (c)
Replacements: 16 Fainga'a, 17 Falgoux, 18 Ala'alatoa, 19 Hemery, 20 Fischer, 21 Bousquet, 22 Urdapilleta, 23 Fouyssac.