ASM CLERMONT AUVERGNE 29 ULSTER 13

A second half resurgence from ASM Clermont Auvergne emulated a fine first period from Ulster this afternoon at the Stade Marcel-Michelin, with the defeat – Ulster’s first of the European campaign –  making next weekend’s Round Six showdown with Bath at the Kingspan Stadium all the more critical. One point ahead at the interval thanks to a try, conversion and penalty from John Cooney, Dan McFarland’s side could not contain a much-improved Clermont in the second half, with tries from Alivereti Raka and George Moala depriving them of the consolation of even a losing bonus point. Clermont now top the group on 20 points with Ulster on 17, but there is still everything to play for in the final round of the Heineken Champions Cup group stage, as a win against Bath in Belfast could still see the Ulstermen finish at the summit of Pool Three, should Clermont slip up against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop. Bolstered by the return of international back-rowers Jordi Murphy and Marcell Coetzee, Ulster otherwise lined up unchanged from the side that defeated Munster 38 – 17 last week in the Guinness Pro14. The backline, composed of five full Ireland internationals, featured Will Addison at full-back, Robert Baloucoune and Jacob Stockdale out wide, Luke Marshall and Stuart McCloskey in the centre, and the first-choice half-back pairing of Billy Burns and Cooney. The unchanged front five saw props Jack McGrath and Marty Moore pack down either side of hooker Rob Herring, with Alan O’Connor and Iain Henderson in the second row. In the back row, Sean Reidy switched to blindside flanker to accommodate Murphy at openside, with Coetzee wearing Number Eight. Ulster had the better of the first half, enjoying 60% of possession and a similar percentage of territorial advantage – and perhaps felt a little disgruntled to run off at the interval only a single point ahead. An energetic start from the Ulstermen, with McCloskey in particular instrumental, got them to the Clermont five-metre line within 60 seconds, and with a penalty soon coming when the Frenchmen failed to roll away, Cooney settled any nerves with a close-range kick at goal. Camille Lopez soon levelled matters courtesy of a drop goal, but the parity was short-lived, as that man Cooney once again made the difference, touching down on nine minutes after carries and incredibly slick passing from McGrath, Reidy and Moore. The scrum-half converted his own score, but the lead was cut to four points at the end of the first quarter thanks to a Morgan Parra penalty. Ulster went on to enjoy good possession, however, and received a shot in the arm on 22 minutes when Parra saw yellow for intentional offside with the visitors only metres from the line. Burns went for touch but an overthrow at the lineout put paid to any hopes of an immediate score, although an intentional slap-down from Fritz Lee soon gave them a second chance – until tenacious tackling from the hosts dragged Stockdale into touch. As Clermont began to find their feet on the half-hour mark, Baloucoune gave another illustration of his defensive prowess when his last-gasp tackle on Moala prevented a nailed-on try by the right-hand corner flag, and the hosts, with Parra now back in the ranks, had to settle for a second penalty from their scrum-half on the stroke of half-time to reduce the gap to a point. Half-Time Score ASM Clermont Auvergne 9 Ulster 10 An early second half penalty from Parra missed its target, but with Clermont proving more and more dominant at scrum-time, their first try was not long in coming, Raka only just brushing the whitewash with the ball and no more after pilediving work from Moala. Parra converted and Moore, clearly carrying a knock as he tried to defend the Moala try, made his exit – followed moments later by Addison, recipient of an injury himself. With Tom O’Toole and Matt Faddes now in the ranks, Ulster slowed things down for a good five minutes before a Clermont offside won them a ‘22’ lineout. With a rolling maul eschewed in favour of swift passing from right to left, the visitors probed and prodded at the Clermont rearguard, eventually forcing an offside penalty on 63 minutes which Cooney dispatched. Now only three points adrift, Ulster did themselves no favours three minutes later by conceding a central penalty of their own, which Parra gratefully put away. Multiple changes saw Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, David Shanahan and Bill Johnston come on for the final ten minutes, but another penalty at scrum-time allowed Greig Laidlaw – recently on for Parra – to edge Ulster out of losing bonus point territory with eight minutes left. Moala, impressive throughout, rubbed further salt in the wounds with three minutes remaining, powering his way through Shanahan and Stockdale to the line, his score converted by Laidlaw. There was still time for Ulster to launch one final offensive, brought to an end by a huge tackle on Marshall in the ‘22’ that caused the centre to knock on. Ulster return to Belfast down but not out, then, knowing that a win over Bath next Saturday will put them in a strong position to qualify for the last eight as one of the top three runners-up – or perhaps as group winners should Harlequins do them a favour in London. Full-Time Score ASM Clermont Auvergne 29 Ulster 13 ASM Clermont Auvergne (15 – 9) Nick Abendanon; Damian Penaud, Isaia Toeava, George Moala, Alivereti Raka; Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra (1 – 8) Etienne Falgoux, John Ulugia, Rabah Slimani, Paul Jedrasiak, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Arthur Iturria, Alexandre Lapandry, Fritz Lee Replacements (16 – 23) Yohan Beheregaray, Loni Uhila, Sipili Falatea, Sitaleki Timani, Alexandre Fischer, Greig Laidlaw, Jake McIntyre, Apisai Naqalevu Ulster (15 – 9) Will Addison; Robert Baloucoune, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney (1 – 8) Jack McGrath, Rob Herring (c), Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Jordi Murphy, Marcell Coetzee Replacements (16 – 23) Adam McBurney, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, David Shanahan, Bill Johnston, Matt Faddes