Heineken Cup - Round 6
Clermont sweep past Viadana
Scrum.com
January 23, 2010
Date/Time: Jan 23, 2010, 14:35 local, 13:35 GMT
Arix Viadana 20 - 59 Clermont Auvergne
Half-time: 3 - 26
Tries: Garcia, Krause
Cons: Hola 2
Pens: Law
Drops: Johansson
Tries: Bonnaire, Malzieu, Nalaga 2, Parra, Rougerie 2, Vermeulen, Penalty
Cons: Floch, James 5, Lavea Levi
Clermont winger Napolioni Nalaga celebrates a try, Clermont Auvergne v Ospreys, Heineken Cup, Stade Marcel Michelin, Montferrand, France, January 16, 2010
Napolioni Nalaga and Aurelien Rougerie were on target for Clermont
© Getty Images
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Clermont Auvergne secured top spot in Heineken Cup Pool 3 by picking up a bonus point in a predictably one-sided 59-20 victory over Viadana at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella on Saturday afternoon.

Aurelien Rougerie and Napolini Nalaga both crossed twice for the visitors, while Morgan Parra, Elvis Vermeulen, Julien Malzieu and Julien Bonnaire all scored one try apiece.

Viadana were utterly outclassed from start to finish but they did at least secure some consolation scores in the second half, registering two tries of their own, through Julio Garcia and Gareth Krause.

With the Ospreys defeating Leicester in the Pool's other game, Clermont booked top spot in the Pool and a chance to forge on in the quarter-final stages.

Parra settled any nerves from the French side early on, scoring their first try after only a minute. Brilliant fly-half Brock James slotted the first of his six conversions immediately after. Rougerie, whose brilliant form was rewarded with a recall to the France squad in midweek, crashed over for his first 20 minutes later and his score was followed immediately by a try for the giant Nalaga.

Fittingly, the excellent Rougerie added another score just before the break to secure the vital bonus-point and there was not let-up after the restart. Back-rower Elvis Vermeulen kept up the momentum with try number five. Malzieu, another call-up to the France squad, sparked a quick fire double on 51 minutes with a try, which was followed up by Nalaga, who handed off the paper-thin Viadana defence to barge over for his second.

Garcia hit back after his side had been force into conceding a penalty try and while Krause scored another consolation, Bonnaire had already rubbed salt in their wounds with Clermont's ninth just before the end.

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