Clermont-Ferrand (AFP)

London a doubt: a week after the rout in Toulouse (34-8) in the Top 14, Clermont finds the European Cup, he loves and which he had been deprived the previous season, receiving the Harlequins Saturday ( 18.30).

"It is not very comfortable to prepare for a Champions Cup game by taking 30 points the week before, of course there is concern," acknowledged Franck Azéma bluntly.

A Jaunard coach between "frustration and anger" Tuesday again after the disappointing performance of his players, who had previously negotiated rather the period of duplicates (5 wins for 3 losses).

"In rugby, if you do not put the commitment and the fight, you can not exist and we did not exist", also lambasted Morgan Parra, well aware of the limits posted Saturday by him and his teammates, led 24-0 after 24 minutes.

Especially since this is not their first catastrophic start this season: in their defeat at home against Pau (37-28) mid-September, they had conceded two tries in 18 minutes (14-3).

"We missed, all lamented the scrum-half, after that dark, it goes very fast, one try, behind, another ..."

But the question mark is even bigger among the Harlequins who lost three times in four days in their championship.

"These Anglo-Saxon teams never give up, have this culture to come back, to believe in what they do," warned Parra though. "We saw him in the World Cup with Wales", winner of France having been manhandled all the quarter-finals.

- Sinckler and Marler at rest -

The Clermont have also experienced in the semifinals of European Challenge against the same Harlequins last season: led 32-8, the Londoners had returned to 5 points late in the game (32-27). The story ended well for the ASM, which then won the final against La Rochelle.

But the Auvergnats could then count on all their strengths: a month after the return of their French international Japan, this is not yet the case this time, unlike the Toulouse reinvigorated by their three-quarter (Maxime Médard, Sofiane Guitoune , Romain Ntamack, Yoann Huget).

Winger Damian Penaud and third line Arthur Iturria are still pointing to the infirmary, while second row Sebastien Vahaamahina is far from having served his suspension for his nudge on Welsh Aaron Wainwright. The returns of the first two are expected the "next week", according to Azéma.

On the English side, the Quins have chosen to rest their two star pillars of the XV of the Rose, Kyle Sinckler and Joe Marler, beaten two weeks ago in the final of the World Cup.

Absences that could weigh while the race promises to be tight in a pool 3 particularly homogeneous (Bath and Ulster are the other two opponents).

"To get a quarter-final, everything counts," Azema insists. "Every point is important, the bonuses, the discipline because it's a very short format, so very intense." The sprint starts Saturday at Marcel-Michelin.

The starting XV

Clermont: Abendanon - Betham, Toeava, Moala, Raka - (o) Lopez, (m) Parra (cap.) - Fischer, F. Lee, Yato - S. Timani, Jedrasiak - Slimani, Ulugia, Falgoux

Harlequins: Mr. Brown - Murley, Lang, Saili, Ibitoye - (o) Mr. Smith, (m) Care - W. Evans, Lawday, Robshaw (Cap.) - Symons, G. Young - Kerrod, Baldwin, Garcia Botta

replacements

Clermont: Tadjer, Uhila, Zirakashvili, T. Lanen, Lanen, Laidlaw, McIntyre, Naqalevu

Harlequins: Elia, Lambert, Swainston, Cavubati, Bothma, Landajo, Campagnaro, Chisholm

Referee: Daniel Jones (WAL)

© 2019 AFP