Three weeks out from the start of the Six Nations, the Wales selectors, hoping for a fillip after an autumn of mixed fortune, must be biting their nails. Not only have the regions failed to catch fire in Europe, but Wales are likely to travel to Twickenham on 6 February with important players seriously short of match practice.
Warren Gatland might not have been in Clermont on Saturday, but it was well known that the Wales head coach, who will announce his squad today, saw the penultimate game in Pool Three as vital to his side's chances of bouncing back from November's surprise walloping by Australia. In the event, three key Wales men barely got their knees dirty and the Ospreys lost control of their Heineken Cup destiny.
The hooker Huw Bennett was the luckiest of those the international substitutes, coming off the bench after 65 minutes, but James Hook had to make do with 13 minutes and Ian Gough played for just two, when the game was done and dusted. Shane Williams, back after damaging his hamstring, stepped on to the field 40 seconds before the final whistle.
Neither Hook nor Williams were prepared to talk after the game, preferring the post-match food to questioning about the Ospreys' selection policy, but Hook must wonder where his future lies. The Cardiff Blues have been the most vocal of suitors.
Scott Johnson, the Ospreys' director of rugby, made it clear that he knew of other offers, before saying: "A lot of people would like him, but he's going nowhere." The head coach, Sean Holley, said the Ospreys had not travelled to France merely looking for a losing bonus point and a final day play-off with the English champions, Leicester.
Hook and Williams may well start against Leicester but the focus will be on Italy, where Clermont are near certain to collect five points against Viadana. If they do so, Leicester will need to take five points from the Liberty Stadium and the Ospreys will know that even a win with a bonus point will not make them table toppers, because of the results between them and the French. Pool Three is at least likely to provide one of the best two runners-up.
Clermont are beginning to look like winners of the whole tournament. They are top of the French league and seem to have thrown off the obsession with winning a first national title that has often crippled their ambitions in Europe. On Saturday, a week after pipping Toulouse by a point with a weakened team in the Top 14, they went behind before squeezing the pips out of the Ospreys.
Of 27 unanswered points, 17 went to their Australian fly-half, Brock James, who did not have his best day – three penalties hit the posts – but still masterminded the fightback. First he calmed nerves with a series of penalties, then he stole the lead with a drop goal before half-time. After the break he produced a catalogue of precision tactical kicks which either had the Ospreys on their heals or guessing.
Ultimately it was a towering punt which Lee Byrne failed to control that created Clermont's first try, for Julien Malzieu, before Napolioni Nalaga capitalised on the James-induced pressure, intercepting a Dan Biggar pass to run in from 50 metres three minutes from time.
Johnson said the score flattered the French, but the Ospreys were short of ball all afternoon after Tommy Bowe had kept up his record of having scored in every round so far.
Clermont Auvergne Floch (Russell, 70); Nalaga, Rougerie (capt), Bai (Canale, 58), Malzieu; James, Parra; Domingo (Debaty, 54), Ledesma, D Zirakashvili (Scelzo, 66), Cudmore, Privat (Pierre, 72), Bonnaire, Vermeulen, Lapandry.
Tries Malzieu, Nalaga Con James Pens James (4) Drop goal James.
Ospreys Byrne; Bowe, Parker (Hook, 67), Bishop, Walker (Williams, 79); Biggar, Januarie (J Nutbrown, 79); James, Hibbard (Bennett, 65), A Jones, AW Jones, Thomas (Gough, 78), J Collins (Tiatia, 72), R Jones (capt), Holah.
Try Bowe Con Biggar.
Sin-bin A Jones, 70.
Referee D Pearson (England) Attendance 15,000.
