Never let it be said that the French don’t do hyperbole. Above the match analysis and the regulation quotes, the rugby newspaper Midi-Olympique has chosen to headline Clermont’s trip to Thomond Park: "Aux Portes de l’Enfer", At the Gates of Hell.

Clermont Auvergne second row Jamie Cudmore says “for the good of the game, it’d be too bad” if his old adversary, Munster’s Paul O’Connell, had been banned for their upcoming Heineken Cup clash.