For years the Clermont Auvergne rugby team was regarded as the unluckiest team in French rugby history.
The Sharks’ opponents in Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final at one point had lost 10 finals in a row in the French Top 14 competition before breaking the unlucky run in part thanks to a lucky charm from South Africa. Springbok captain John Smit played for Clermont in 2009 and 2010, the years Clermont finally won the trophy.
The club has come a long way since it was formed early in the 20th century to represent the Michelin tyre company that has had a factory in Montferrand since 1889. Marcel Michelin, the son of the tyre giants started the club and they were originally called AS Michelin before having to change their name because of legal issues.
To this day, they play in yellow and blue, which are the traditional colours of Michelin, and they play their home matches at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin.
Clermont’s rich experience in the Challenge and Champions Cups is significant to the Sharks this week. They were runners-up in the Champions Cup in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and have won the Challenge Cup three times: in 1999, 2007 and 2019.
The French team knows how to win Challenge Cup matches but perhaps more ominous is their current form in the Top 14. They had a slow start to the tournament but they smashed log leaders Stade Francais 41-18 at the weekend.
