Clermont the big losers on dramatic final weekend of Champions Cup group games
French side Clermont Auvergne spurned a late penalty which would have sent them through to the quarter-finals as Exeter Chiefs and Stade Français progressed in a dramatic finale to the European Rugby Champions Cup group stage on Sunday.
French side Clermont Auvergne spurned a late penalty which would have sent them through to the quarter-finals as Exeter Chiefs and Stade Français progressed in a dramatic finale to the European Rugby Champions Cup group stage on Sunday.
Last season’s runners-up Clermont trailed Bordeaux-Bègles 37-28 when Morgan Parra turned down an 80th-minute penalty in front of the posts in favour of going for a try and squandered the chance of a losing bonus point to top the group.
The kick would have taken the French side to 16 points, enough to win pool 2 with a superior aggregate points tally, but instead Exeter advanced as group winners with a 33-17 victory over Welsh team Ospreys at Sandy Park.
“At the time, we didn’t know,” Clermont captain Damien Chouly told local media.
“We were playing to win the match, giving everything to try and score at least four tries. Anyway, I don’t think we’d have taken the time to think about whether we should have tapped or not.”
