Brace yourself – Lamerat v Henshaw is one collision you do not want to miss
einster against Clermont will be a game of quality, and it is likely to be defined by two world-class operators in the centres, where Robbie Henshaw will go head to head with Rémi Lamerat in a match-up of two very different players.
No game can be won without forward dominance, but you also need guys in the three-quarters to deliver the points. Whoever wins the battle of the midfield in Lyon tomorrow afternoon will either finish off the other team, backing up their forward power, or help swing a game back in the favour of the side who are under the cosh up front.
Henshaw and Lamerat, the two No 12s tomorrow, are that good, and the arrival of these two at their clubs at the start of the season transformed these two sides into genuine title contenders.
Henshaw is the poster boy. His opening Champions Cup game at home to Castres told us the impact makes him difficult to defend against. A defence has to stay very square on him or he will break through an outside arm, or trample through a soft inside shoulder.
Added to this, Henshaw can kick, even if it is just the classic drop punt, and he is able to deliver them on the run, with excellent accuracy. When another of his team members sticks one up, Henshaw’s kick chase is excellent.
He also has pace. Against Wasps in the quarter-final, Elliot Daly hacked clear and Willie le Roux and Joe Simpson hared after the ball. It was a long kick downfield, and trouble was looming when Henshaw turned to cover. But Le Roux and Simpson never gained a yard on him.
This is one reason why he will provide an interesting selection option for Warren Gatland on the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in the summer. Where previously you would not have looked beyond Jonathan Joseph, Daly or Garry Ringrose (who is not in the party) for the 13 slot, now, because of his wheels and classic outside arc and the centre options in the squad, Henshaw could be the 13. Gatland can now consider an option of Sexton, Farrell and Henshaw in his midfield.
Against him tomorrow will be one of the most underrated players in the northern hemisphere. Lamerat is not spectacularly quick, or built like an outhouse – and he is certainly no poster boy. In fact, he is almost everything Henshaw is not. And yet he is equally influential and has become the rock in the middle of the Clermont team, the player who provides the mongrel in the midfield.
Lamerat’s signing convinced me to jump on the Clermont betting bandwagon once again, having abandoned my favourite team for a couple of years. Such is this man’s quality, integrity and bloody-mindedness, he was the perfect antidote to Clermont’s flimsiness at the business end of the competition. His ability to “empty his tank” time and again is worth watching in itself. The ground he covers to look after his mates in defence – waiting until the ball has moved on from his pal’s channel in the slot next to him, then heading off to look for work round the back and always able to drop back into his channel if the attacking team switch back to where he was – is remarkable. His close-control passing is also outstanding: on the short side against Ulster in Belfast he had no right to catch the ball and give it in the blink of an eye to Scott Spedding, who nipped in at the corner. The rest of the time, he delivers what is needed, content with his role. When he defends he is not dirty, but it hurts every time. He is all elbows and knees, with quick line-speed and the ability to tackle on both shoulders. He is everything I was not and I love him for it. Clermont’s quarterfinal against arch-rivals Toulon was tight at 9-9 in the rain. Clermont made ground up the left, and they needed something. Lamerat carried, was tackled but not held, rose again, and was tackled again. He judorolled with no care for what he or his face might meet as they came into contact with an opponent. He made crucial yards, the ball was recycled and Noa Nakaitaci scored to break the game for Clermont. At Twickenham, against England, he was penalised for continuing to move forward when held in the tackle. It was a terrible decision. He was not held and he knew it. This is a man who prides himself on the second thrust, the ability to go again. This fighting spirit means he is exceptional at the breakdown, with his strength and ability to get into awkward positions. And if you want to know why any coach or supporter would love him, you need look no further than the game against Ulster in the pool stages. Charles Piutau had a two-on-two, with no right to score, and sold the most outrageous dummy as he crabbed across the field to his only support runner. As he set off, Lamerat spotted the danger from 50 yards away and headed towards it. It was a lost cause, but he overtook the great Wesley Fofana on the way to get to his man, arriving just as Piutau scored. Lamerat never quits, he never, ever stops coming at you. Henshaw is not one to step off either. A collision is coming.