Clermont future bright
Bridesmaid. It’s a word that seems to provoke equal amounts of fear and loathing from members of the opposite sex, much to the incomprehension of men everywhere. But when you use the word to explain a team that lost 10 Championship finals in a row, that rather alien word ‘bridesmaid’ becomes that little bit more understandable.
Once billed as the unluckiest club in world rugby, ASM Clermont Auvergne finally rid themselves of their ‘bridesmaid’ tag in 2010, winning their first French title and finally ending a jinx that had completely consumed them. The 2010 final against Perpignan had been their fourth consecutive visit to the Stade de France in as many years and the sense of elation and emotion at the final whistle even had neutrals choking back the tears.
It would be unfair to suggest we never saw the best of Clermont before their 2010 Top 14 win but it’s only recently we have seen them following through on their potential. Challenge Cup wins in 1999 and 2007 aside, Clermont have always felt like a team who should be competing for Europe’s top prize but who never quite made it. Like most French clubs, the national championship has always taken precedence but the club has been able to take a more balanced stance in recent times, thanks to their growing financial power.
The arrivals last summer of the likes of Benjamin Kayser, Nathan Hines, Lee Byrne, Regan King, David Skrela and Sitiveni Sivivatu to an already experienced squad gave Clermont a depth few clubs could live with. That depth is clear this season, with a Heineken Cup semi-final in the bag and the club qualified for the Top 14 playoffs.
Yet unlike Toulon and Racing Metro, there hasn’t been a sugar daddy bankrolling the club. Instead Clermont’s financial power is the product of six years of meticulous planning and hard work. The redevelopment of Stade Marcel Michelin has been key while the club is fortunate to have one of France’s largest companies, Michelin, in their backyard. Today, thanks to its most recent facelift, Stade Marcel Michelin holds just over 18,000 but it is the corporate and non-matchday facilities that are the envy of every other European club.
The club was founded as AS Michelin, a kind of sports and social club for factory workers, but became AS Montferrand in 1922 when the French Championship organisers banned companies from owning teams. Yet the club remained a de-facto part of the Michelin organisation until current club president René Fontès took the reins in 2004.
“René started everything,” says captain Aurelien Rougerie. “He was the one who went looking for Vern in New Zealand, increased the size of the stadium and found new sponsors. When René goes, he’ll be a big loss.”
The club is one of a handful (alongside Toulouse and Lyon) who own their stadium outright although Michelin continue to own the land on which the structure is built. The close relationship is also reflected in Michelin still being one of Clermont’s biggest partners but the club has worked hard in recent years to stand on its own two feet. These days Michelin contributes just 10% towards the €23.6m budget. Toulouse may have a 100-year start in terms of winning trophies but given Clermont’s sustainable financial base and men of the ilk of Fontès and Vern Cotter at the reins, they could catch up very quickly.
© This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, April 28, 2012
