Classy Clermont annihilate Aironi

CLERMONT AUVERGNE picked up their first win of this season’s Heineken Cup in some style as they put Aironi to the sword in a one-sided clash at Stade Marcel Michelin last night.

The star-studded French side had lost their opening Pool 4 clash to Ulster but they bounced back with an eight-try mauling of Aironi, with Lee Byrne, Gerhard Vosloo and Brock James going over in the first half and Julien Bonnaire, Julien Bardy, Jean-Marcel Buttin, Wesley Fofana and Julien Malzieu adding second-half scores.

Scrum-half Morgan Parra converted four of those tries, while fly-half James added the points for three of the others. Italian side Aironi, who lost their first match to Leicester, managed only an early Luciano Orquera penalty in reply.

Clermont Auvergne scorers: Tries: Byrne, Vosloo, James, Bonnaire, Bardy, Buttin, Fofana, Malzieu. Cons: Parra 4, James 3.

Aironi scorer: Pens: Orquera

CLERMONT AUVERGNE: Byrne, Nakaitaci, Rougerie, Fofana, Malzieu, James, Parra, Debaty, Paulo, Kotze, Jacquet, Hines, Vosloo, Bardy, Bonnaire.

Replacements: Buttin for Nakaitaci (56), Radoslavjevic for Rougerie (53), Canale for Parra (53), Ric for Debaty (71), Kayser for Paulo (59), Zirakashvili for Kotze (56), White for Hines (56), Audebert for Vosloo (51).

AIRONI RUGBY: Trevisan, Sinoti, Quartaroli, G Pavan, Venditti, Orquera, Keats, Aguero, D’Apice, Staibano, Geldenhuys, Bortolami, Furno, Sole, Viljoen.

Replacements: Ferrarini for Orquera (63), Bronzini for Keats (63), A De Marchi for Aguero (55), Romano for Staibano (65), Olivier for Furno (63).

Referee: John Paul Doyle (RFU).