Stade Francais beat Clermont 12-6 to win the 2014-15 Top 14 title at the Stade de France on Saturday
Monday 15 June 2015 18:43, UK
Stade Francais were crowned Top 14 champions after they beat Clermont 12-6 at the Stade de France on Saturday.
Stade Francais claimed their first Top 14 title since 2007 when the boot of Morne Steyn earned a 12-6 victory over injury-hit Clermont Auvergne who once again suffered final heartbreak on Saturday.
Clermont, without key backs Wesley Fofana, Jonathan Davies and Noa Nakaitaci, have now lost 11 of their 12 French top flight finals and also lost to Toulon in the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup final at Twickenham last month.
Stade's victory however sealed just their second title since 2007 when they eight years also beaten Clermont in the final.
The game never quite reached the heights of what the Top 14 has offered all season as fatigue, nerves and plenty of ill-discipline from Clermont dominated the game.
A tight first-half saw Clermont suffer for their ill-discipline under the watchful eye of referee Pascal Jauzere.
Clermont flanker Julien Bardy was rightly yellow carded in the 14th minute for a reckless shoulder charge into a ruck which caught the head of Waisea Nayacalevu.
A hard-hitting, well-organised wide defence nullified Clermont's vaunted attack which boasted European player of the year Nick Abendanon and Fijian flyer Napolioni Nalaga.
Steyn kicked two penalties in the first 21 minutes, but Morgan Parra missed a long-range effort shortly after, with the Parisians very much playing to the referee and looking very much in control at the set-piece.
A third Steyn penalty saw Stade out to 9-0 before Camille Lopez hit a penalty just before half-time to give the blue-and-yellows some hope.
Steyn sent his first effort in the second period just wide and then sent an ambitious drop-goal inches off as half-back partner Julien Dupuy fired his troops forward.
Australian Brock James, on as a replacement for Lopez, pinged over a second penalty for Clermont in what was turning into a right slugfest in which attack was given no corner.
James' cross-field kick a moment later was just out of the reach of Jean-Marcelin Buttin, summing up Clermont's misfiring attack.
Abendanon, not picked for Stuart Lancaster's preliminary England squad for the World Cup because he plays in France, sparked a rare attack late on, however supporting No 8 Fritz Lee was well tackled as the line beckoned.
James then missed a penalty that would have drawn the teams level, with just 10 minutes to play.
Stade resorted to a ten man game with Steyn happy to kick for territory before he slotted his fourth penalty to seal victory for Stade Francais in the dying seconds of the game.
