Clermont march into the Final
Clermont scored a hard-earned 13-9 win over Saracens in Saint Etienne on Saturday to become the first team to reach the 2015 European Champions Cup Final.
They will play the winner of Sunday's encounter between Toulon and Leinster.
With Wesley Fofana scoring the game's only try – Brok James added a conversion and two penalties – the French club avenged last year's big defeat at the hands of Saracens in the same stage of the competition.
Saracens' only points came for a penalty and a drop-goal by Charlie Hodgson, as well as a penalty by Owen Farrell.
The game was for long periods a midfield arm wrestle between two very efficient defensive sides that gave little away.
After James saw an early effort drift wide, Hodgson opened the scoring after 14 minutes with a well-taken drop-goal.
Napolioni Nalaga had a try disallowed immediately after, Chris Ashton bundling Clermont's Fijian try-scoring machine into touch just before he could ground the ball.
The England international will consider himself lucky that Irish referee George Clancy neither brandished a yellow card nor awarded a penalty try after his blatant no-arms tackle.
James drew Clermont level with a 27th-minute penalty to the delight of a swathe of yellow at the sell-out 41,000-capacity Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, the ground of Ligue 1 football club Saint Etienne.
Hodgson sent a first penalty effort wide but nailed his second to leave Saracens 6-3 up at half-time.
Clermont, however, set their fans' flags flying straight into the second half.
France No.8 Damien Chouly's barn-storming charge set up quick ruck ball that was spun wide to James whose chip bounced perfectly for Fofana to gather and touch down, James kicking the conversion.
Saracens, who lost to Toulon in the 2014 Final, stuck gamely to their task and ever-willing full-back Alex Goode raked a long kick into the corner.
Nick Abendanon fed Nalaga inside him but a great follow-up tackle by Richard Wigglesworth saw the Fijian spill the ball just metres from his line.
Clermont, with prop Vincent Debaty under enormous pressure, were penalised in the resulting scrum, and Farrell made it a one-point game with a successful kick.
However, James made no mistake with his second penalty, all but closing out the game and setting up what promises to be an enticing final.
Two-time defending champions Toulon play in the second semifinal in Marseille on Sunday against three-time title winners Leinster.
The two clubs have been European champions five times in the past six years.
Clermont will be back in European action against the winners of that match in the May 2 Final at Twickenham.
Man of the match: Charlie Hodgson had his moments, Maro Itoje showed why he is so highly rated and George Kruis added some serious muscle. Wesley Fofana produced the moment of the match, while Brock James was solid as ever. However, our award goes to Clermont's French loose forward Julien Bonnaire for his workrate and influence on the tight exchanges.
The scorers:
For Clermont:
Try: Fofana
Con: James
Pens: James 2
For Saracens:
Pen: Hodgson, Farrell
DG: Hodgson
Teams:
Clermont: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Noa Nakaitaci, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Naipolioni Nalaga, 10 Brock James, 9 Ludovic Radoslavjevic, 8 Damien Chouly (captain), 7 Julien Bardy, 6 Julien Bonnaire, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Vincent Debaty.
Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Raphael Chaume, 18 Clément Ric, 19 Julien Pierre, 20 Alexandre Lapandry, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Aurélien Rougerie
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt (captain), 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Jacques Burger, 6 Maro Itoje, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 George Kruis, 3 Petrus Du Plessis, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 James Johnston, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Jackson Wray, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 David Strettle
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Leighton Hodges (Wales), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
