Clermont Auvergne overcame a battling Saracens side 13-9 in an intense and brutal European Champions Cup semi-final in Saint-Etienne, France, on Saturday.
The French team are to play holders Toulon or Ireland’s Leinster in the final after Wesley Fofana’s second-half try proved the difference as Clermont avenged their 46-6 drubbing by Saracens at the same stage of last year’s competition.
“I don’t want to jinx it, but we honestly believe this is our year,” Clermont fullback Nick Abendanon told reporters.
The English side scored the opening points through a Charlie Hodgson drop goal, but Clermont flyhalf Brock James leveled with a penalty off the post.
Saracens worked tirelessly to deny space to Clermont, who produced a brilliant display of attacking rugby to blow Northampton away 37-5 in the quarter-finals.
Hodgson edged Saracens ahead with a long penalty and the visitors led 6-3 at half-time.
However, Clermont made a fast start to the second half and a delightful chip through by James was pounced on by center Fofana, who dived over the line.
James converted to put the French side 10-6 ahead, but Saracens refused to go away and replacement flyhalf Owen Farrell kicked a penalty on his return to action following a knee injury.
Another Saracens infringement at a ruck gave James the chance to extend Clermont’s advantage and the ice-cool Australian duly knocked over the penalty.
“I thought the effort in many aspects of the performance was phenomenal,” Saracens boss Mark McCall said. “We made Clermont play a game today that they didn’t really want to play. The game was on a knife edge up until 10 minutes to go. We said in the changing room that we can look back at some of the small things that we didn’t do well enough today.”
French Top 14 leaders Toulon were to play Leinster in Marseille yesterday, with the final at Twickenham in London on May 2.
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