Clermont face the sting of Wasps at the Ricoh Arena

Another clash of the Anglo-French variety as Clermont journey to the Ricoh Arena to receive the challenge of Lee Blackett’s Wasps.

The home side is stood in pretty good stead at present with two wins from the opening two rounds against Dragons and Montpellier respectively.

It was a slick performance from Wasps as they kicked off their campaign. Their opponents, Dragons, were in somewhat of a depleted state and struggled to contain Wasps who ran in four tries while only leaking one.

With a victory under the belt, Wasps travelled home to the Ricoh Arena and prepared for their Round 2 encounter with Montpellier. The latter got off to a nightmarish start, with fullback Henry Immelman being shown a red card after just six minutes. The match remained scoreless for 22 minutes until Wasps crossed the whitewash and did so again 5 minutes later for a 12-point lead on their opponents. It was a stout effort by Montpellier who found themselves in the lead during the second stanza but Wasps were far from finished:

Clermont kicked off their campaign with a try-fest against Premiership stars Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate.

In what turned out to be a thrilling game, Clermont ran in 7 tries to Bristol’s 5. Finding themselves 21-0 down, Bristol showed good character to fight their way back into the game, but, ultimately, Clermont proved too much.

Satisfied with a wonderful attacking display, Clermont travelled home to prepare for their Round 2 encounter with Munster in what was to be one of the most exciting games of the season. Clermont galloped to a 28-9 lead and looked, for all money, like they would take Munster for a walk. The grim determination in the latter, however, came to the fore in a big way, catching Clermont unawares.

Clermont are known for their attractive, attack-orientated brand of rugby and much interest will be shown in how Wasps manage to counter their flamboyant opponents.