Saints taught a harsh lesson
Dylan Hartley was quick to acknowledge that English rugby flag bearers Northampton Saints had been taught "one hell of a lesson" as they were blown away by a rampant Clermont in a one-sided European Cup quarterfinal.
The former European champions were left chasing shadows as Clermont turned on the style to book their place in the last four – and get Hartley's vote for potential 2015 champions.
"They are a quality outfit and, while no-one is invincible, after today they will take some stopping," said the England hooker.
"We did not get a foothold early on and after that compounded things with error after error. They were unbelievable. We got caught cold and their steamroller just kept on going and going."
And former Bath star Nick Abendanon put it down to meticulous planning.
"We have been preparing for this match for the last month and that showed today – everyone was in top form," said the Clermont fullback.
"When you have the platform our forwards provided and the go forward ball they presented us with then life is a whole lot easier for the likes of Wesley Fofana, Jonathan Davies and myself.
"It is matches like that why I came to one of the best clubs in Europe and games like this quarterfinal."
And while Abendanon is in his first season with Clermont, hooker Benjamin Kayser admitted they have been chasing this trophy for quite some time.
"Previous defeats have been dealt with and this is definitely a top target for us this season.
"Everything worked for us in the first half and we took pretty much all the scoring chances that came along – it was a great performance and we are very pleased to be in the semifinals."
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