Castres (AFP)

Upset in the first period, Clermont asserted his technical superiority after the break to win an enhanced success in Castres (40-14), much too undisciplined, Friday at the opening of the 10th day of Top 14.

The Clermontois take 2nd place in Toulouse in the standings, while they have 1 game less, and are two lengths behind the leader of La Rochelle.

The Castres suffer a third setback at home - after the Stade Français and Bordeaux-Bègles - in 4 matches at Pierre-Fabre and still point to an inglorious 12th place.

With an opener, Camille Lopez, always at the top of his art on penalties (7/7 plus a try, or 23 points), Clermont activated the turbo and knocked out the Castres, who did not score a single point after the break and have amassed a trifle of 17 penalties against them.

After two rejected tries, the ASM finally found the way to the bonus with four tries in total.

The Auvergnats scored the first try of the match by Lopez on their first foray into the opposing 22m (14th).

Handicapped by their indiscipline (five faults in twenty minutes), the Castres reacted by Adrea Cocagi who escaped along the right lane (26th).

The pace intensified on the restart, Clermont multiplying the sequences of play and reversals.

A well-made test was refused to the Auvergnats for a forward but the threat was becoming more and more pressing for the Tarnais quartered in their camp.

In double numerical inferiority shortly before the hour mark, Castres could not avoid the penalty test for Clermont (57th).

Powerless, the CO was going to cash two other tests, dominated by Clermontois who took off in the last quarter of an hour by the second row replacing Paul Jedrasiak (67th) and the Japanese star Kotaro Matsushima (72nd).

© 2020 AFP