Clermont vs Toulouse
This is another all French affair and we can expect fireworks as both teams love throwing the ball around the field. These teams are blessed with the best attacking players in the world with the contest on the wing between Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Penaud one of the many highlights. There is no question that Clermont have the talent and experience in their team but their problems over the years has been their mental strength. They have often fallen at the knockout stage and have also lost many Top 14 finals. Their home ground is usually a fortress for them but with no fans it will favour Toulouse. Anton Dupont and Romain Ntamack form a halfback pairing that no side can match and I expect them to dominate proceedings although they have dynamic players like Kolbe to tear into opposition teams. This match will be fiercely contested in the forwards but they seem to be well matched in that department. The experience Jerome Kaino leads this Toulouse team like a general and he has seen the youngsters develop into world class players while Clermont on the other hand have George Moala and Wesley Fofana in the midfield and this may be the area they have the edge over Toulouse. This match will be fast paced, so the bench will make a big impact and in the game against Munster we saw how strong the Toulouse replacements were and once again I think they will be the difference between the sides.
TIP: The Toulouse halfback combination is probably the best in the world and that includes international sides. Dupont and Ntamack seem telepathic when they attack and they have the dangerman Cheslin Kolbe on hand to catch any defence that is slow. Clermont also have an array of attacking players like Japanese international Kotaro Matsushima and Penaud but although they score many points, they also concede a lot of points. Their defensive structures are not up to European Cup standards and I feel this will be their downfall therefore I am going for a Toulouse win. The best odds on the away win are Worldsportsbetting 1.60, Sunbet 1.54 and Sportingbet 1.50
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Clermont vs Toulouse
- In the last 6 meetings between these teams, Toulouse has 3 wins while Clermont have 2 with one draw.
- The home team has won 12 of the last 13 matches with 1 draw.
- This is the first meeting of these teams in the European Champions Cup.
Latest results for both teams
Clermont won their last game against Wasps 25-27 while Toulouse beat Munster by 33-40 in their last match
PREDICTION
When you look at the stats from these teams previous encounters it is clear that the home team has a major advantage as there hasn’t been an away victory in 13 matches. This stat is skewed as these teams have never met in a knockout match and of course never in an empty stadium. Toulouse has World Cup winners in Kaino and Kolbe so they know how to handle the pressure while Clermont crack under the strain. This is the reason I am going for a Toulouse victory by more than 5 points.
- Probable Starting XVs
Clermont
15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 George Moala, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Alivereti Raka, 10 Camille Lopez (c), 9 Sébastien Bézy, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Alexandre Fischer, 6 Judicaël Cancoriet, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Paul Jedrasiak, 3 Cristian Ojovan, 2 Adrien Pélissié, 1 Peni Ravai
Toulouse
15 Maxime Médard, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Zack Holmes, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Matthis Lebel, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Francois Cros, 6 Selevasio Tolofua, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Julien Marchand (c), 1 Cyril Baille
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the Toulouse victory are:
Worldsportsbetting 1.60
Sportingbet 1.50
Sunbet 1.54
Odds comparison on a Toulouse handicap victory
The complete odds on the Toulouse handicaps are as follows:
Worldsportsbetting (-3.5) 1.90
Sportingbet (-4.5) 1.91
Sunbet (-3.5) 1.87
Playabets (-3.5) 1.83
Predictions and Odds in details
The match against Munster showed that Toulouse have internationals like Joe Tekori on the bench and when he came on his brute power changed the complexion of the match. Clermont on the other hand don’t have the same type of firepower on the bench so this match will be decided in the last 20 minutes in Toulouse’s favour. We saw against Wasps that the Clermont let in many soft tries and against a team that loves attacking like Toulouse they will have major headaches all day. I am confident of a Toulouse victory and they will win by more than 5 points. These are the best odds on a Toulouse handicap victory at Worldsportsbetting (-3.5) 1.90, Sportingbet (-4.5) 1.91, Sunbet (-3.5) 1.87 and Playabets (-3.5) 1.83
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
