Clermont survive Toulon scare
Clermont rallied from a half-time deficit to beat Toulon 25-19 and maintain their unbeaten home record in the Top 14.
Last Updated: 08/01/12 10:59pm
Clermont rallied from a half-time deficit to beat Toulon 25-19 and maintain their unbeaten home record in the Top 14.
The hosts had not lost at Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin since November 2009 but looked in serious danger of seeing that run come to an end when they trailed 13-6.
However, a 65th-minute try from skipper Aurelien Rougerie saw Clermont edge a highly-exciting encounter between two French heavyweights.
A losing bonus point sees Toulon climb back to third in the standings while Clermont remain second, six points adrift of leaders Toulouse.
Solo effort
Toulon have never won in Clermont but took a 13-6 lead when Jonny Wilkinson converted full-back Benjamin Lapeyre's fantastic solo try after 25 minutes.
Wilkinson and Clermont scrum-half Morgan Parra both excelled from the kicking tee and traded penalties, meaning it was 16-12 to Toulon at the break.
They had defended superbly to keep their opponents out in the first half but eventually were breached when France wing Julien Malzieu found a gap, bursting clear to put Rougerie in for the winning try.
It was high intensity stuff from the first whistle to the last as Toulon pushed hard in the closing stages to snatch victory and gain revenge for the 17-0 drubbing handing to them by les Juanards earlier in the season.
But it wasn't to be and although les Varois will be disappointed with the final result, they will see a silver lining in a much-improved performance.
