Clermont-Ferrand (AFP)

Six touches and 3 lost scrums: Clermont got his feet in the carpet and once again fell at home against Montpellier (21-15), his pet peeve at Marcel-Michelin, Friday at the opening of the 11th day of the Top 14.

It is a stop for the ASM, 3rd in the standings with two games late, which did not prepare well for its perilous trip to Bristol in a week for the opening of the European Cup.

For their part, the Montpellier, who lined up their best players, won for the first time away this season and even since May 25, 2019, while it is the first defeat at home for the Clermontois for whom Montpellier is a real pet peeve.

This is the 6th victory for the Hérault club in Clermont since 2014!

The MHR, which goes back to 10th rank, owes its victory to its forwards who came to steal 9 balls in the conquest phases, 3 in scrum and 6 in touchdown.

Flankers Yacouba Camara and Fulgence Ouedraogo were imperial on their jumps in touch.

The young opener (18 years old) Louis Foursans-Bourdette, from the MHR training center, was the other man of the match by scoring the 21 points of his team - seven penalties out of eight -, thus taking advantage of the indiscipline of ASM.

"The last few weeks have been complicated. We needed a victory to relaunch us in this Top 14 even if with this success, we have not done anything yet. There has been a lot of work from the forwards," said the player on Canal More Sport.

For its part, Clermont, dominated in the conquest phases, could only rely on the boot of Camille Lopez who passed five penalties.

This is the first time this season that the Clermont team has not scored a home try.

Winger Peter Betham missed two big chances, one in each period.

“We ran into a very good team from Montpellier. We will not forget what we have been doing in recent months but in this game there was no rhythm and there was too much indiscipline. We also lacked efficiency, "said Lopez.

While it seemed to gain the upper hand over MHR at the start of the second half, ASM was penalized by the temporary exclusion of left pillar Etienne Fagoux (54th) for repeated faults in scrum.

© 2020 AFP