Clermont inflicted the sixth straight loss on the reigning European Champions, Saracens, in a re-arranged European fixture which had been scheduled to take place yesterday but was controversially called off by the home side.
Saracens (7) 14
Tries: Penalty, Kruis
Cons: Farrell
Clermont Auvergne (24) 46
Tries: Raka x3, Van der Merwe, Fofana, Toeva
Cons: Parra x5
Pens: Parra x2
Given Saracens status in Europe at the end of last season, looking like a completely unstoppable force in both English and European rugby, not a single person would have guessed that by December they would have broken a 14-year record for the most consecutive losses; having lost six in a row in the European Champions Cup, English Premiership and the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
Clermont winger Alivereti Raka scored a hat-trick in just over 20 minutes to give the French visitors a handsome 21-0 lead at Allianz Park - and the high-scoring certainly didn't stop there!
Saracens got on the scoresheet with a penalty try, but Clermont inflicted yet more pain with a stunning Flip Van der Merwe try, and Fofana scoring their fifth a short while later.
Kruis scored to narrow the scoreline a tad, but Toeva scored a sixth try for Clermont to ensure they absolutely smashed the reigning European Champions, sending out a huge message.
Clermont had called Saracens amateurish and extremely unprofessional for calling off the fixture yesterday and only just allowing any spectators in the stadium (as it had been deemed unsafe). Clermont had said before the match that they would need to find a spark from elsewhere as there would be very little, if any, French support in Allianz Park. Clermont have more than told Saracens not to mess them around like that in the future!
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