Clermont Auvergne - Rugby Central

Copyright (c) 2008 Mary Smith

Rugby, of the union kind, is as close to French hearts as classic food, fine wine and Edith Piaf. But, as some food and wine and possibly Edith can disappoint, so too can the French national side, despite their embarrassment of rich playing talent.

Capable of sublime attacking flair the French have the ability to beat anyone; witness the second half come back against the All Blacks at last years world cup, but at the same time can make hard work of beating lowlier opposition and are prone to self destruct during a match. When things start to go wrong the players can get frustrated and quickly loose their discipline.

Clermont Ferrand, the capital of the Puy de Dome department of the Auvergne is home to one of the countries leading clubs, Clermont Auvergne. The distinctive yellow and blue club colour are can be found everywhere in Clermont, particularly on match days when it seems the whole city is out in support. The club was founded in 1911 under the initiative of Monsieur Marcel Michelin, one of the founders of the giant tyre manufacturer, who remain one of the cities biggest employers and the clubs owners and, not surprisingly, one of its chief sponsors. The full title of the club is ASM Clermont Auvergne. The initials ASM originally stood for Association Sportive Michelin, until, in 1922 the French government passed an act which forbade the use of a firms name within the title of a sporting club. Not wishing to discard the now well known initials, the club changed its title to l'Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne, thus retaining the abbreviation ASM. In 2008 the club completed the re-development of its magnificent ¬12 million, 16,000 capacity stadium, named after Marcel Michelin Surrounded by beautiful volcanic uplands, the ground is one of the most picturesque in the country, dominated by the Puy de Dome, the highest point overlooking the city. A visit to this stadium on match day is a treat for any rugby enthusiast. The traditional French band maintains a constant medley of trumpet inspired tunes, not even letting up during kicks at goal, a feature in contrast to the silence observed at grounds in the UK. The crowds frequent chants of A S M, A S M, contribute to a great match day atmosphere, making the ground seem full even when some seats are empty. However, the average attendance over the 2007/2008 season was 14,185, with the big games always at full capacity, making the sight of empty seats a rarity. As part of the clubs re-development, the inclusion of conference and seminar facilities, a brewery, club shop and other retail outlets has expanded the services available on site as well as providing additional income streams for the club.

Access to the Stade Michelin has been made easier in the last year with the completion of the tram link which runs across Clermont Ferrand for a distance of 14.2 km. There is a tram stop at the stadium itself, and a more frequent service runs on match days, making the often fruitless search for a car parking space in the vicinity unnecessary. For a club of ASM Clermont Auvergne's size they have a history of under-achievement in the major competitions which is no doubt a fact that they are desperate to put right. They have been runners up no fewer than 9 times in the French championship, most recently in the past two seasons, and have never won the title. Their greatest successes have come in Europe, with two victories in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier European competition behind the Heineken Cup, in 1999 and 2007 and one runners up spot in the same competition in 2004. However, their ambition must be to lay the ghost of the French championship and proceed, at least to the knock out stages of the Heineken Cup. Their prospects in the latter have not been helped in recent times by being included in the same group as Munster (the eventual champions) both last season (2007/08), and again this year.

Whatever the outcome of this seasons domestic and European competitions the enthusiastic rugby fan will always find a great atmosphere and some entertaining rugby at ASM Clermont Auvergne.