French World Cup hopefuls team up for great try

Clermont Auvergne booked their place in the Top 14 final alongside Toulouse yesterday with an impressive 33-13 win over Lyon.

Clermont will head to the Stade de France next Saturday with a team littered with French internationals, and a number that will undoubtedly be on the plane to Japan for the World Cup in a few month’s time. One player that is almost guaranteed to make Jacques Brunel’s team is winger Damian Penaud.

The 22-year-old had yet another barnstorming game in the semi-final, to continue the wonderful season that he is having.

The France international scored Clermont’s first try of the game, and played a huge part in his team’s second, teaming up with fellow winger Alivereti Raka in the second half.

This was the try:

Wingers @PenaudD and @raka_alivereti combine to book @ASMOfficiel‘s place in the 2019 @top14rugby final v @StadeToulousain. Watch it next Saturday at 7.45pm on Sky Sports Action. pic.twitter.com/l3xWf9Sb1U

— Sky Sports Rugby (@SkySportsRugby) June 9, 2019

Fijian-born Raka is another player that will be hopeful of making it to the World Cup for France in September. He became a French citizen at the end of last year, and has been knocking on the door for French selection after a brilliant season with Clermont.

The winger brings a typical Fijian flair to a game, with pace and footwork out wide, and would have been on Brunel’s radar for a while.

Of course, this try was more down to the brilliance of Penaud, who picked a sublime line to cut through the Lyon defence. However, this was just a glimpse of the two linking up and showing how dangerous they can be in the blue of France later this year.