Ulster 34 Clermont Auvergne 31
James Hume reckons Ulster can challenge for glory in the Heineken Champions Cup after completing their pool stage with four superb wins with victory over Clermont Auvergne.
But Dan McFarland’s men had to withstand a late rally in the final ten minutes from the French which saw them whittle a 22-point deficit down to just three but Ulster held on at Kingspan Stadium.
Uncapped full-back Michael Lowry celebrated his inclusion in Ireland’s Six Nations squad this week with a sparkling display as Ulster completed the double over Clermont Auvergne this season to march into the last 16 in style.
Hume, who got his only taste of international rugby against the USA last summer, sent out a timely message to Andy Farrell of what he can offer as he, like fellow 23-year old Lowry, prepares for his first Six Nations campaign.
And Hume reckons Ulster, now set for a home quarter-final if they get through the last 16 round, are serious contenders for this season’s Champions Cup.
“I believe we are contenders. The group we have is very special. Anyone who has been watching us know we do exciting games like that. Good to watch and hopefully we will tidy some things up when we get into the last 16,” said Hume.
“It was our aim to go through unbeaten. After last week we said it wasn’t good enough for us to just go through to the last 16, we want home quarters. We want to be a cup-winning side so that’s what we went for.”
Ulster led 17-12 at the break, with all three tries for the home side coming from penalties to the corner and they would have been out of sight had they not presented four penalty opportunities to Morgan Parra.
Ulster laid out their intentions early on and while the first penalty to touch didn’t yield a score, they got it together after eight minutes and hooker Rob Herring got in for his first try when he peeled away to score.
Parra responded as Ulster coughed up a couple of cheap penalties to lead 6-5 after 18 minutes but then Lowry struck when he went outside Parra and inside full-back Cheikh Tiberghien to score in the left corner.
But Clermont hit back and while they rarely looked like creating a try in the opening half, they hit the front four minutes from the break with two more penalties from Parra’s reliable left boot.
Ulster piled on the pressure before the interval and Clermont’s Fijian-born French international Alivereti Raka was binned for not rolling away. A tap to the corner, another lineout take from Kieran Treadwell and a drive ended with Herring squeezing over for his second try.
Nathan Doak, off target with the three previous conversions from almost the same spot, this time got his radar right and landed the extras to lead 17-12 at the break.
Ulster got on top again after the restart and Doak pushed the lead out to eight with a penalty and it was no surprise when they crossed for the bonus point try.
Angus Curtis set it in motion from deep, Hume was involved and when Lowry was stopped a metre short, they recycled for Springbok World Cup winner Duane Vermeulen to get his first Ulster try.
Robert Baloucoune got their fifth to lead 34-12 after 70 minutes but Clermont, with French internationals Camile Lopez and Damian Penaud impressing off the bench, sparked a revival that yielded tries from Jaco van Tonder, Raka and Judicael Cancoriet to set up a nervous finish for Ulster but they held on, leaving Clermont coach Jono Gibbes, who left Ulster four years ago, sweating on his 45 th birthday over whether the bonus point will be enough to see them through to the knockout stages.
Ulster try scorers: R Herring (2), M Lowry, D Vermeulen, R Baloucoune . Cons: N Doak (2), B Burns. Pen: Doak.
Clermont Auvergne try scorers: J van Tonder, A Raka, J Cancoriet. Pens: M Parra (4). Con: C Lopez (2)
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