The Sharks’ opponents in this Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final in London, Clermont-Auvergne, have had a few bad seasons, but they should be coming into the Stoop in strong shape.
With just nine wins in 22 starts and three draws, the French team is only ranked 10th on the domestic (Top 14) log. However, they improved their standing this past weekend with a convincing 41-18 victory over Stade Francais, and several players, including flyhalf Anthony Belleau, a French international, are playing with confidence.
Belleau scored 16 points with his boot to go along with his strong tactical game, and the Sharks would be wise to keep up their recent discipline improvements.
The Sharks may not be happy about Clermont moving up the log because it gives them more confidence in their fight to stay out of the dreaded relegation zone, where the bottom two teams are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, while the team that finishes second plays a game. This suggests that Clermont may be more motivated to give it their all in the match, which is typically the case once French teams advance this far in a European Cup competition.
In the past, Clermont was known for finishing deep in both their home league and Europe, but since 2019, they have not done so. In fact, Clermont and their rivals have a similar history in that they both won their first domestic trophy during their centenary year.
Naturally, the Sharks, then known as Natal, did it when they took home the Currie Cup in 1990. Clermont, who had previously competed under a different name and are still frequently referred to as Montferrand, finished in the top 14 in their 100th year of competition in 2010 to put an end to a period of hardship during which they had made the final ten times and finished in second place each time.
