It’s all to play for in Pool 3 of the Heineken Cup after Clermont Auvergne moved into second place after recording a 27-7 victory over the Ospreys at Stade Marcel Michelin.
With one round left, Leicester Tigers lead the pool on 17 points with both the French outfit and the Ospreys just one point behind.
The French league leaders withstood an early bombardment from the Welsh side but eventually wore down their opponents to be crowned deserved victors.
Played at a breath-taking pace, both sides played with intensity, endeavour and adventure which brought the best out of both sides.
The Ospreys began with a hiss and a roar and could have scored virtually from the kick off but winger Tommy Bowe slipped over with the try line at his mercy. However the Irish star made amends in the seventh minute when finishing off a lethal backline move. Dan Biggar converted to give the visitors an early 0-7 lead.
In front of an excitable home crowd, Clermont banged away at the Ospreys door but the Ospreys managed to keep them at bay. Two Brock James penalties inside the opening 23 minutes reduced the Welsh region’s lead to a single point as Clermont went through the gears.
James missed a chance to put the home side in front when he hit the posts from close range after Jerry Collins was penalised for a dangerous tackle but that just seemed to spur Clermont on further.
James edged the home side further on the stroke of half time with a snap drop goal to give his side a 12-7 lead the break.
The Ospreys suffered a huge blow in the 61st minute when Julien Malzieu finished off in the corner after fellow winger Aurelien Rougerie pressured Lee Byrne into a mistake. The Clermont skipper scooped up the loose ball after the Welsh full back dropped the ball and sent Malzieu on a clear run to the line.
The Ospreys went down to 14 men when Adam Jones was sent to the sin bin 10 minutes from full time. Brock finally succeeded with a shot at goal to put Clermont 20-7 ahead.
Napolioni Nalaga settled the issue beyond all reasonable doubt when he intercepted Biggar’s pass and powered his way to the tryline from halfway without any Ospreys defender getting near him.
