Clermont hammer Bath in eight-try rout ; Exeter on brink of last eight

Bath’s nightmare Heineken Champions Cup campaign continued as Stuart Hooper’s men were hammered 52-26 by Clermont Auvergne.

The French side were unstoppable in the first half as they ran in six of their eight tries and recorded a bonus point in just 20 minutes.

Their convincing victory leaves them a point behind Ulster at the top of Pool 3, with Bath bottom after a fourth straight defeat.

Clermont led 40-14 at half-time as Alivereti Raka and George Moala both touched down twice after John Ulugia and Damian Penaud had got the scoreboard moving.

Camille Lopez and Jake McIntyre grabbed Clermont’s second-half efforts while Morgan Parra kicked five conversions and Greig Laidlaw added one.

Bath had something to smile about as they claimed a bonus point courtesy of tries from Jack Walker, Ruaridh McConnochie, Tom Dunn and Josh Bayliss.

Meanwhile, Exeter moved to within a point of reaching the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals after beating Sale Sharks 35-10 at Sandy Park.

The Chiefs preserved their 100% record in Pool Two with a fourth successive victory after brothers Sam and Joe Simmonds cut loose.

Number eight Sam scored two tries, while his brother Joe also touched down and kicked three conversions, before prop Ben Moon marked his 250th Exeter appearance by collecting a late touchdown that Gareth Steenson converted.

England wing Jack Nowell completed the scoring, with Steenson converting, as not even a a torrential hailstorm that forced the players off for five second-half minutes could disrupt Exeter’s rhythm.

Exeter’s bonus point win put them on the verge of a first Champions Cup last-eight appearance since 2016.

Their remaining group fixtures next month are against Glasgow and La Rochelle, and they now lead the group by 10 points.

Sale, though, are effectively out of contention, joining fellow Gallagher Premiership clubs Bath, Harlequins and Gloucester in facing a probable early exit.