Clermont Auvergne vs Saracens match report: Wesley Fofana ends European dream for Sarries

Clermont Auvergne 13 Saracens 9: French side gain revenge for last year's semi-final mauling

Wesley Fofana celebrates after scoring the only try of the match (Getty Images)

As this European Champions Cup semi-final lurched into the final minutes of who-blinks-first so common to these knockout dramas, Saracens trailed 10-9 when their left-wing Chris Wyles caught a kick and Billy Vunipola was penalised for holding on. It gave Clermont's fly-half Brock James a tricky kick but the Australian nailed it.

So a fine and obdurate Saracens effort counted for nothing as Clermont made the most of the draw that had given them home-country advantage in the last four.

Saracens were up against a magnificent, cosmopolitan squad backed by intimidating support as all but a few of the stadium’s record crowd of 41,500 had made the 150km trip east to St Etienne. The “Green Hell”, as this imposing Geoffroy-Guichard stadium is nicknamed, became yellow and blue for the day, while the tiny pockets of black yearned for Sarries to reprise wins at Twickenham, Wembley, Brussels, Nantes and Racing’s Stade Colombes as their self-styled project has unfolded around a core of steel and tight teamwork these last few years.

As England’s longest surviving representatives in each of the last four seasons, Saracens were losing finalists last year, and made it here with a famous long kick by Marcelo Bosch at Racing Metro, but Charlie Hodgson was happy to take on three efforts from 40 to 45 metres’ distance in the 29th, 37th and 40th minutes, the last of them after Clermont had wheeled a scrum.

Charlie Hodgson watches his drop-goal sail through the posts (Getty Images)

Hodgson succeeded with the middle attempt and it had Saracens 6-3 up at half-time, after the fly-half’s dropped goal on 14 minutes and a penalty in reply by James when Jim Hamilton and George Kruis were trapped in a ruck like debris swept up by a tornado.

What a rite of passage this was for Saracens’ 20-year-old Maro Itoje, who made one brilliant catch and run, putting Julien Bardy on his backside, and moved from blindside to lock in the second half.

All the way through, Clermont had difficulty releasing their dangerous back three. A rare try chance saw Napolioni Nalaga bundled into touch by Chris Ashton; the tackle did not look terribly correct but Nick Abendanon’s pass to the big Fijian wing looked forward, too.

A year ago Saracens had thrashed Clermont 46-6 in a Twickenham semi-final, but there was no such one-sidedness this time. Sarries’ bid to run Clermont’s heavy pack around in the second half began unpromisingly with Ashton turned over from the kick-off.

Then, from a scrum, Damien Chouly – playing at No 8 in place of the injured totem Fritz Lee – broke over the gain-line, Clermont sprang to the right and James chipped over Bosch and Jamie George for the centre Wesley Fofana to run through, gather and score with an elaborate dive. James converted, and it was 10-6 and a little deafening.

Drock James and Noa Nakaitici celebrate following the final whistle (Getty Images)

It felt like Clermont’s time now; their mauls powered forwards and Saracens dithered over passes. But Sarries fought back bravely. Owen Farrell came on for the England fly-half’s first match since injuring a knee in the pool win over Clermont in late January, while another recent returnee, Schalk Brits, bowled around ballistically. Farrell struck a penalty through the flag on top of a post to peg Clermont to 10-9, after the France prop Vincent Debaty collapsed a scrum.

A different bounce of the ball when Nalaga was harried into an error by Richard Wigglesworth might have changed the result, but Jacques Burger couldn’t pick up.

Instead, Clermont celebrated with a contender for rugby’s longest lap of honour. If we have an all-French final at Twickenham a week on Saturday – the holders Toulon face Leinster in the other semi-final today – it may not sell England’s rugby headquarters out, although a May Day holiday in France will help with time off.

“We’ll look back at set-pieces in their half when we weren’t quite up to getting the ball out,” said Sarries captain Brad Barritt. “And when Nalaga was hammered we had three people there but couldn’t make it pay. These games are often on a knife-edge and the team that takes those chances comes out victors.”

Line-ups:

Clermont Auvergne: N Abendanon; N Nakaitaci, J Davies, W Fofana, N Nalaga (A Rougerie, 75); B James, L Radosavljevic (M Parra, 55); V Debaty (R Chaume, 74), B Kayser (J Ulugia, 67), D Zirakashvili, J Cudmore (J Pierre, 23-33), S Vahaamahina, J Bonnaire, J Bardy (A Lapandry, 56), D Chouly (capt).

Saracens: A Goode; C Ashton, M Bosch, B Barritt (capt), C Wyles (D Strettle, 74); C Hodgson (O Farrell, 58), R Wigglesworth (N de Kock, 69); M Vunipola (R Gill, 73), J George (S Brits, 52), P du Plessis (J Johnston, 52), G Kruis, J Hamilton (J Wray, 56), M Itoje, J Burger (K Brown, 75), B Vunipola.

Referee: G Clancy (Ireland).