Clermont - Kevin scores only Try in loss

Agen played Clermont today, the defending Top 14 Champions in their home stadium. I was not at the game, but apparently Agen played great for the first 50 minutes of the match, before letting the game run away from them in the second half.  Kevin scored the first and only try for Agen in the 8th minute of the game which hushed the stadium and stunned the Clermont team. Our center did a grubber kick in front of Kevin's territory which sent both Kevin and Clermont's full-back racing to the ball. They both arrived at the same time, but the full-back apparently moved out of Kevin's way to avoid a collision just as the ball bounced into Kevin's hands. He ran it in for a 20-30 meter try. From there, Kevin said it was one of their best defensive games of the year as they only trailed 19-13 at half-time. But 10 minutes into the second half, the game started to go downhill and the score closed at 45-19.

Hopefully the first half performance will stick in their minds and will give them motivation to keep pushing forward and work on their weak areas. They have a break from Top 14 matches for 2 weeks as they compete in the Amlin Cup starting next Friday against Gloucester. This break could be very beneficial as it will give the team some time to iron out weaknesses and hopefully return to their next Top 14 in better form. The coaches might also rest many of the starters, which will give players some time to heal nagging injuries.

 

Picture from last week.