The DHL Stormers enjoyed their first 40 minutes in Heinken Champions Cup rugby but then came a momentum shift that brought home the reality of playing in France as it propelled Clermont Auvergne to a comprehensive 24-14 win at the Marcel Michelin Stadium on Saturday.
The Stormers led by 11 points at halftime but Clermont came back at them with 21 unanswered points in the second half as they completely dominated both the possession and territory battle after the break.
It was enough to deny the Stormers the bonus point that, according to those who have followed the Champions Cup over the years, is an imperative when going on the road in the group stages of the competition.
A tough second half at Stade Marcel Michelin. Well played @ASMOfficiel, we'll see you in Cape Town in January. #ASMvSTO #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/RcJxDVCQmX
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 10, 2022
It was a day of learning for the Stormers, as one suspected it might be. The key to winning at the Clermont-Ferrand venue, where the hosts once went 71 games without being beaten, is that you don’t let their boisterous crowd into the game to lift the home players.
In the first half the Stormers were spot on, with their smothering defence keeping Clermont in check, the scrum doing the business, the lineout being spot on and generally the territory game being well managed.
The standout figure in the Stormers outfit to that point, indeed in the game itself, was Deon Fourie. The flanker was all over the field, forcing several breakdown turnovers and generally proving a thorn in the home team’s side.
With Fourie also scoring the one Stormers try, where he kept his footing brilliantly to burrow his way over off a driving maul, it would not be stretching it to suggest that Fourie was the difference between the two sides in the first half.
And it was a half that belonged to the Stormers, who kicked the first points through Manie Libbok after 12 minutes and then retook the lead in the 21st via another Libbok penalty in response to a penalty from home flyhalf Jules Plisson that levelled the scores.
The Stormers had a scoreboard advantage at that point despite being down to 14 men for 10 minutes of the first quarter due to a yellow card shown to replacement looseforward Ben Jason Dixon, who came onto the field for the injured Ernst van Rhyn in the very early minutes and then was guilty with almost his first action of the game of a high tackle.
When Fourie went over for his try it was half an hour into the game. Manie Libbok, who had an error-ridden game, missed the conversion, to leave it 11-3, and then it became 14-3 when fullback Clayton Blommetjies took over from Libbok as the place-kicker to kick a penalty in the 36th minute.
?? Is there anything this guy @Deonf can't do? #ASMvSTO #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/mNssWefgNo
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 10, 2022
POSSESSION BATTLE
Perhaps that was when Clermont flicked the switch, for they were on the Stormers’ line for the last four minutes of the half, with just good defence and a Fourie turnover penalty saving them from conceding a try before the break.
It was clear though immediately after the restart that the momentum had shifted, with Clermont scoring their first try when space was created out wide for Clermont’s fullback Alex Newsome to go over in the right corner.
Plisson managed to bounce the ball in off the post with his conversion to make it a four point game, but even though the Stormers were still in the lead it was obvious that they were going to struggle to hold it.
Whereas in the first half the Stormers enjoyed 59 per cent territory, in the third quarter it was 81 per cent in favour of the hosts.
And the possession battle swung in the home team’s favour too, with the Stormers committed to mainly a defensive role after halftime. When they did get the ball they looked nervous and jittery.
The Stormers weren’t helped by what looked like an injury to Gary Porter that saw the lock leave the field at halftime, with Dixon moving into the second row.
But that won’t be used as an excuse by the Stormers, who it has to be remembered did leave two key Boks in the form of Frans Malherbe and Marvin Orie at home (Evan Roos is injured), but who did well in the end to limit the Clermont win to 10 points given the comedy of errors that blighted their game in the second half.
Plisson kicked a penalty to narrow the Stormers lead to one point and then Fijian wing Alivireti Raka scored the second Clermont try as the hosts went into the lead for the first time in the 64th minute.
The noise in the stadium was massive by that point as the packed venue got in behind Clermont, and it really was just an irresistible tide of yellow after halftime in every respect, with Clermont snapping over a drop-goal from Plisson to stretch their lead to seven and then kicking a penalty seven minutes from the end to make the advantage 10 points.
Perhaps the Stormers should have realised the importance of the bonus point and been less adventurous when they did get the ball in that period, but that is nit-picking because the reality is that the momentum was just completely in Clermont’s favour from the 41st minute onwards and they were significantly better on the day than the United Rugby Championship champions.
The Stormers though can take some heart from their first-half performance as they had much more of the game to the halfway point than many expected them to. What they learned is that in France you don’t let your opponents into the game.
Scores
Clermont Auvergne 24
DHL Stormers 14 - Try: Deon Fourie; Penalties: Manie Libbok 2 and Clayton Blommetjies.