When it comes time to take stock, opinions diverge.
At the very end of the match, Clermont had one last ammunition which could have helped to reverse the trend and win at Paris La Défense Arena against Racing 92. But Morgan Parra preferred to send the ball into touch.
ASM defeated 33-28.
And the iconic scrum-half reconsidered his choice.
“Every single point is important.
On the last action, if we drop the ball, we can take a counter ... The Top 14 is very complicated, every point counts, ”
he defended himself in front of the press.
Small arms the Auvergnats?
To discover
Calendar and results Top 14
Ranking Top 14
Read alsoRacing-Clermont: the favorites and strokes of our special correspondent
A few minutes later, his manager Jono Gibbes is not on the same wavelength as his scrum half. This defensive bonus point, is it a lesser evil, a reason for satisfaction?
“I don't know what game you watched but for me there is zero satisfaction. One point, there is no satisfaction. "
The tone is calm but the report is bitter.
"We're doing 80 minutes ... almost,
" he grumbles.
I wouldn't say it's the worst performance of the season but we were missing an opportunity this (Saturday) night, for sure. It's frustrating."
At the end of a completely disjointed match, the Auvergnats can harbor legitimate regrets.
In the first period, the Parisians, under pressure after four losses in a row in the Top 14, were visibly feverish.
Camille Lopez and his teammates took the opportunity to register three tries by Damian Penaud (4th), George Moala (21st) and Etienne Fourcade (26th).
But on the return from the locker room, the Clermont machine seized up, putting itself too much at fault (13 penalties in the end) and multiplying the failures (14 lost balls).
The yellow card inflicted on Tomas Lavanini (48th) allowed the Racingmen to make up for their delay and return to the forefront.
We fought ourselves ...
Jono Gibbes
“There was a team in front of us that lacked confidence. But we wasted our balloons a lot,
plague Jono Gibbes.
They scored tries really too easily. We didn't do the things necessary to win an away game. ”
And to assent:
"We fought ourselves ..."
After its prestigious success against Stade Toulousain (16-13), ASM failed to double the bet against another cador of the championship.
And the Clermont manager, usually very measured in his media outings, has it through his throat.
“We know that the general classification is very tight.
We had an opportunity to repeat our good performance last week against Toulouse.
When we watch the video of the match, we will say things to each other, that's for sure.
But it is the actions that are the most important. ”
The season of the Jaunards is chaotic and they fell back into their failings during this trip to the Hauts-de-Seine.
The state of mind is gaining momentum from Toulouse.
From the outside, I felt that on the ground, there are things going on
Morgan parra
“We experienced an air gap. We suffered and made stupid mistakes that we were no longer used to making
, ”lamented the third row Judicaël Cancoriet. Like this penalty conceded by Rabah Slimani for ripping off an opponent's helmet in a ruck.
“Against Toulouse, we do not win the match on something beautiful or fantastic
(a drop from Camille Lopez, Editor's note),
but with a state of mind and character,
underlines Morgan Parra.
Against Racing, which was in difficulty, you needed character to be able to hold out. We must manage to switch by being more killers. "
But the international number 9, announced on the side of the Stade Français Paris next season, wants to be positive.
“The state of mind is gaining momentum from Toulouse.
From the outside, I felt that in the field, there are things going on, he
says.
And it's very important to come away with a point. ”
Even if Jono Gibbes does not share this opinion ...
