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.