Three-time winners of the EPCR Challenge Cup ASM Clermont Auvergne held off a Toyota Cheetahs fightback in the Round of 16 to earn a 27-22 victory at the Stade Marcel-Michelin on Saturday.
The TOP14 club ran in three tries before the break, wings Joris Jurand and Bautista Delguy penning their names on the scoresheet with hooker Etienne Fourcade also crossing.
Fly-half Anthony Belleau contributed a trio of successful kicks – one penalty and a pair of conversions.
Replacement scrum-half Baptiste Jauneau added a fourth try early in the second period to put the hosts up 27-3, with the French entity seemingly having one foot in the quarter-final with just 20 minutes remaining.
However, the United Rugby Championship (URC) club would make a game of it with three tries in the final quarter of the contest - replacement Sibabalo Qoma notching a brace in addition to a solo effort from full-back Tapiwa Mafura
Scrum-half Ruan Pienaar matched his kicking counterpart with seven points from the tee.
The victory earns the TOP14 club a home match in the next round with either domestic rivals Montpellier Hérault Rugby or URC club Ulster Rugby set to visit the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region next weekend.
Scorers:
Clermont Auvergne: Tries: Joris Jurand, Bautista Delguy, Etienne Fourcade, Baptiste Jauneau. Conversions: Anthony Belleau, Anthony Belleau. Penalty: Anthony Belleau.
Toyota Cheetahs: Tries: Siba Qoma, Tapiwa Mafura, Siba Qoma Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (2). Penalty: Ruan Pienaar.
Teams:
Clermont Auvergne: 15 Alex Newsome, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Léon Darricarrere, 12 Julien Heriteau, 11 Joris Jurand, 10 Anthony Belleau, 9 Sebastien Bezy (c), 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Alexandre Fischer, 6 Peceli Yato, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Etienne Fourcade, 1 Giorgi Beria. Replacements: 16 Yohan Beheregaray, 17 Daniel Bibi Biziwu, 18 Giorgi Dzmanashvili, 19 Paul Jedrasiak, 20 Lucas Dessaigne, 21 Baptiste Jauneau, 22 Theo Giral, 23 Alivereti Raka.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Munier Hartzenberg, 12 Reinhardt Fortuin, 11 Litha Nkula, 10 George Lourens, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Friedle Olivier, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Jeandré Rudolph, 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen, 1 Schalk Ferreira. Replacements: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Mzwandele Zito, 20 Gideon van der Merwe, 21 Siba Qoma, 22 Andell Loubser, 23 Rewan Kruger.
