Clermont claim the spoils

Clermont finally won the French championship at the 11th time of asking as they battled out a 19-6 victory over Perpignan at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The side from Massif Central has lost in the last three finals, but managed to shrug off their tag as chokers with a tough victory in the Top 14 finale.

2010's French championship decider was a rematch of last year's, which Perpignan won 22-13, but it was much more attritional 12 months on with just a single try during the 80 minutes.

Fijian winger Napolioni Nalaga was the only man to cross the line as Clermont bagged the only try of the match in the 15th minute of the final.

France scrum-half Morgan Parra nailed the conversion and three penalties, while Anthony Floch connected with a drop-goal, but it was a different story for Perpignan kicker Jerome Porical, who missed four of his six attempts as nerves got the better of him.

Scrappy

A tight game in the French capital started in scrappy fashion with a missed penalty each and a tension-filled skirmish that had referee Christophe Berdos struggling to control the players' emotions.

Parra kicked Clermont ahead in the 11th minute, as he showed why he had taken over kicking duties from Australian half-back partner Brock James late on in the season.

International scrum-half Parra also had a big hand in the try, as he flipped a pass for Nalaga who muscled his way through three defenders before touching down - with Parra adding the extras.

After some unusual misses, the normally reliable Porical got Perpignan on the board after21 minutes, and he grabbed a second penalty five minutes later when Clermont captain Aurelien Rougerie strayed offside at a ruck.

Parra hit right back as the Catalans gave away a penalty immediately from the restart, and that enabled Clermont to go in at half time holding a 13-6 lead.

Perpignan sent waves of attacks going forward in the second half, but Clermont's defence held firm admirably, with them desperate to finish runners-up yet again.

Parra added a third penalty 19 minutes from the end to take Clermont two scores clear, and Floch's drop-goal sealed a memorable victory for Vern Cotter's men.

Rougerie was able to lift the trophy as Clermont skipper in his fifth Top 14 final, as they finally laid their ghost to rest with a first Top 14 success.