Clermontois bounced back to victory thanks to a great, very great George Moala. But if ASM won, it was mainly thanks to the dominance of its forwards, Pacelli Yato and Rob Simmons. In an instant the Tumua Manu Center paid the price.
Tops
What a match from the Claremont center! Despite being followed closely by a Pau defense who knew who they were dealing with, the former All Black found gaps, mostly by creating them themselves. When his team faltered in the first half, he was one of the executives ASM relied on. He also scored valuable scratches in his camp in the first half, When the Clermontois were pushed. A special mention to his friend Julian Herriteau in the middle of the field, who was as sharp in defense as his tackle on Galleton after returning from the locker room.
The Fijian international was like his whole pack: dominant in direct play, and causing significant damage in the Pau defence. Often called upon to revive the movement in the early stages of the game, the Fijians always put their team forward. We also saw him on the sidelines, where he was flawless. He scored his team’s second try before the break Which gave ASM a big breath of fresh air.
Solid match from the Wallaby. Not content to be at the forefront of the fight without conceding the slightest penalty, the Clermont giant also showed remarkable consistency, always finding himself in a good position late in the game even when his teammates found gaps.
Pau’s opener worked once again. Driven to control the game, the former Exeter player also signed with impeccable footwork, although he did not always have the easy efforts, such as Delhommle’s final effort in the corner. He was also the author of Benjamin Urdapiletta’s interception that gave Palois the lead in the first half.
The flops
His direct rival George Moala shone so brightly that he overshadowed Tumua Manu, who never really managed to measure up to the latter. Manu certainly wasn’t solely responsible for Moala’s formidable performance, but he still finished the match with three missed tackles, the joint-highest score for the Palois with second-row Fabrice Metz.
The division’s right flank seemed to lose intensity very quickly in the game, both in running play and in the closed scrum where it was subjected to Georgie Beria’s law. He was also partly responsible for Fritz Lee’s try in a quarter of the game. Substituted at half-time, his substitute Tokolahi did no better, succumbing to the Clermont scrum law, also receiving a yellow card. Ten minutes from the end of the match. In short, a match to forget for the two Bernays right-handers.
A contrasting match for the Clermont winger. A try was definitely scored, but several errors, such as a poorly controlled ball at the feet in the first half a few meters from goal early in the match that could have caused disarray in the Clermont defence, were the try was not scored in the 34th minute as it was pushed into touch. Was… He displayed great energy, making two crossings, but in a three-quarter line that particularly shone, the former Brewist remains a tone below.
