Are Clermont ready to finally stake their claim?
The standoff between the warring factions in the ERC boardroom has grown worse despite four protracted meetings. The vice president of the LNR Patrick Wolff, who represents the interests of the French clubs, had stated at the outset of the discussions in September surrounding a revamped Heineken and Amlin Cup competition from season 2014/15 onwards, that he wanted a resolution by Christmas. There is no chance of that happening now. In the meantime the cause of the Rabodirect contingent has been hampered by the failure of teams from Scotland, Wales and Italy to offer any semblance of a competitive challenge. With a break in the tournament until the New Year, the sides representing those countries need to achieve something this weekend. Last Sunday Benetton Treviso put in a marvellous performance against Leicester at Welford Road, scoring three tries before finally going down 33-25. With the return game in Treviso today, a victory over the former kingpins of Europe, could help ignite their campaign. Last season Edinburgh beat Racing Metro home and away on their way to a first semi-final. Struggling and pointless at the base of Pool One, they could do with producing a win over the French outfit at Murrayfield. Likewise the Ospreys host mighty Toulouse at Liberty Stadium and a win could help address the imbalance of results before the next fractious meeting between the parties.
2. Iain Henderson — Second row or back row? The loss of Johann Muller to Ulster is every bit as significant as Paul O’Connell’s continued absence in the second row for Munster. Yet, in adversity, someone always seems to seize the moment. Mike McCarthy stepped into the big man’s boots at international level in November and became on overnight sensation despite plying his trade with Connacht for years. Muller runs the Ulster line out, is one of their main ball carriers and is outstanding at restarts. In his absence, Chris Henry assumes the captaincy and Rory Best will take charge of the set piece. That paves the way for Muller’s direct replacement to concentrate on his playing duties. Mark Anscombe’s decision to shift Iain Henderson from the back row to the engine room is the correct one as I am convinced his future at international level lies there. He now has a chance to further his cause today with the Six Nations looming and a decent performance could secure a place on the bench, at the very least, given his versatility. Without the pressure of having to defend in the wider channels, Henderson can now concentrate on the primary duties of a second row to which I think he is better suited. His lineout work at underage level has always been top quality but will be under more scrutiny here. He will also have to concentrate more at cleaning out at ruck time and contributing to the massive Ulster effort in the scrum which went a long way towards deciding last week’s contest. If he can do that, not only will he advance Ulster’s chances of a vital home quarter-final but he can also add to his stock as a lock forward of international status. I think he has it in him.
3. Perennial bridesmaids or potential champions? Clermont Auvergne are viewed by many as the most unlucky side in the tournament in recent seasons, filling the shoes occupied by Munster from 2000 to 2006 before the souther province finally managed to conquer Europe. Saddled in a pool with either Munster or Leinster in four of the last six seasons, they have come up just short. Last season’s semi-final defeat in Bordeaux against Leinster was heartbreaking but they are now in a very strong position to rid themselves of the Leinster threat once and for all, scuppering the Irish province’s ambitions for a three in a row. Five points ahead of the reigning champions in Pool 5, Clermont have their destiny in their own hands but must put on a performance at the Aviva Stadium. After a rocky start, they demolished Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park in their only other away fixture in the tournament to date but will need to be even more focused in Dublin, where they succumbed far too meekly at this stage two seasons ago. Leinster showed outstanding resilience in Clermont last Sunday and will be even more determined to succeed today, given the consequences of failure. Surprisingly given their pedigree, the one thing holding them back at present is a lack of tries. In their three pool games they have only registered a single try. That highlights the importance of injured trio — Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald — in terms of scoring. By comparison Clermont had been scoring tries for fun, 12 in their opening two games, before being held tryless last weekend. The question is whether Clermont have learned from their shortcomings last Sunday or whether Leinster can rediscover their try-scoring edge. Clermont will never have a better chance to rid themselves of the Leinster menace and with a reputed 3,000 fans travelling with them to Dublin, will enjoy the biggest support ever from France for a pool match. Today’s game will reveal a lot about both sides.
