Leinster thump Clermont as grieving Lions set for Champions Cup debut / Photo: © AFP
Leinster thump Clermont as grieving Lions set for Champions Cup debut
Ireland fly-half Sam Prendergast starred as four-time winners Leinster opened their Champions Cup account with a bonus-point 48-23 win at Clermont on Saturday, under the shadow of South African lock Hyron Andrews's death.
Prendergast scored one of the Irish province's seven tries, adding four conversions and a penalty for a personal haul of 16 points.
Captain Dan Sheehan scored twice and fellow forwards Tadhg Furlong and Jack Conan also crossed the whitewash while a powerful Leinster scrum earned the visitors a penalty try.
Wing Tommy O'Brien added the final try late on.
Wing Joris Jurand and replacement centre Mathys Belaubre crossed for Clermont, while New Zealander fly-half Harry Plummer kicked the rest of their points.
"Lots of really good stuff in the game," Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said.
"Games come thick and fast so we've got to move on."
The Champions Cup action continued against a sombre backdrop after Andrews, a second-row forward with Johannesburg's Lions franchise, was found dead in his hotel on Friday on the eve of the game at La Rochelle.
The 31-year-old was found in cardiac arrest in a shower cubicle, local authorities told AFP.
Andrews's death came exactly 10 years after Munster coach Anthony Foley died in his hotel room ahead of their match at Racing 92. Those two teams had already planned a commemoration when they play in Cork later on Saturday.
The Lions said they would play their game against La Rochelle in memory of Andrews, with all Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures preceded by a moment's silence this weekend.
South Africans Blue Bulls and Stormers started well with home wins over Stade Francais and Bristol, respectively.
Stade Francais, who have not won away in the competition since 2015, succumbed to the heat, the altitude and a string of defensive errors in South Africa as they crumbled 56-20 against the Bulls.
The Bulls outscored Stade eight tries to two to earn a bonus point.
Stormers made light of hooker JJ Kotze's first half red card to thrash an understrength Bristol 49-12.
Wing Leolin Zas and centre Jonathan Roche each scored twice while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu landed all seven conversions.
Joe Owen and Sol Moody responded with Bristol's tries.
Glasgow fought back from an early deficit to beat Andrews's former club Sale 47-27.
Sale raced into a 12-point lead after only nine minutes, but ill-discipline proved costly as Glasgow swung the momentum with a penalty try and another score against 13 men.
The Scots led by six points at the break and stretched away in the second half, finishing with six tries to Sale's three.
On Friday, Bordeaux-Begles, winners of the past two editions of the Champions Cup, began their title defence with a thrilling 36-36 draw away to Gloucester.
J.White--VC
