Clermont vs Leinster Predictions - Clermont to see off the challenge of Leinster

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 2 hours ago

Brad Newcomb 2 hours ago

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Clermont have won 3 of their last 4 home games against Leinster.
Leinster have struggled away, losing 5 of their last 6 away matches.
Clermont are tipped to cover the +10.5 handicap in this fixture.

Clermont have a solid home record against Leinster (Getty Images)

Clermont struggled in last season's Investec Champions Cup but have often defeated Leinster in recent clashes. Leinster lost in last season's final and have not had much success when playing Clermont away from home.

Clermont have won 4 of their last 6 home fixtures.
Clermont have won 3 of their last 4 home games against Leinster.
Leinster have lost 5 of their last 6 away matches.
Leinster have lost 4 of their last 5 games against Clermont.

Head to Head

Clermont and Leinster each have four victories apiece in eight meetings.

Clermont Form

ASM Clermont Auvergne had a poor campaign in last season's Investec Champions Cup, losing all four of their fixtures during the pool stages.

Les Jaunards occupy 11th place in the French Rugby Championship table with 11 points from six games.

Earlier this season in the Top 14, Clermont lost 40-26 away to Lyon, beat Stade Francais 25-16 at home, lost 46-24 to Bayonne away, and defeated Castres 20-6 at home before losing 23-22 to Bordeaux at home.

ASM Clermont have come out on top against Leinster in recent matchups, winning four of their last five fixtures, and they tend to play their best rugby on home soil, securing four victories in their last six matches.

Leinster Form

Leinster had an excellent campaign in the European Rugby Champions Cup last season, reaching the final, but lost 41-19 to Bordeaux.

The team from Dublin is currently 10th in the United Rugby Championship standings with eight points after three rounds.

The four-time Investec Champions Cup winners have played three matches in the URC this season, losing 27-26 to the Lions and 26-20 to the Sharks away from home, respectively before beating Cardiff 29-5 at home.

Leinster will be aiming to go all the way and win this competition this season, but they face a tricky trip away to Clermont, as they don't have a great record at their opponents' stadium, losing three of their last four visits.

Team News

Clermont

Harry Plummer has scored 52 points in this season's Top 14.

Bautista Delguy has crossed the try line three times in the league so far.

Leinster

Lock James Ryan has stated that dominating set-pieces is crucial in their match against Clermont: "One thing about Clermont is their lineout maul is very good, very strong, so that’ll be a big one for us as a pack, going after that area of the game and trying to negate their strength there.

“The start is important. They’re a very strong side at home, they’re a very proud club, so we need to start well. And then it’s making sure we take our chances: when we do get into their 22, we have to come away with points. We can’t afford to miss those.”

Jamison Gibson-Park, James Culhane, and Joey Carbery will all be further assessed this week to determine their availability for the match.

Verdict

Clermont v Leinster

Clermont have a solid home record against Leinster and are tipped to cover the +10.5 handicap.

Clermont +10.5

Handicap

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Brad graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bcom-Management Accounting degree and has a financial background.

His love of sport has seen him venture down the road of researching sporting history for the past several years, specifically boxing, cricket and football.

Other sports of particular interest are golf, tennis, horse racing and motorsports.

Additionally, he spends his time researching the military history of his home country of South Africa.

He is an ardent Liverpool supporter and is known to DJ and release music on occasion.