Biggar and Ospreys left wincing as Parra puts the boot in
DAN Biggar handed Wales an injury scare as he left the field six minutes from time with his right shoulder supported by a shirt-sling.
The Ospreys fly-half, 28, winced: “It’s not too bad,” shortly after leaving the field just as his side’s dreams of reaching the Champions Cup quarterfinal for the first time since 2010 had been dashed by the immaculate boot of man of the match Morgan Parra and too many errors from the visitors.
All that Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy would say after the game was: “Dan is with the medics,” although the player himself whispered his belief to the physios that the injury was not too severe.
He is due to link up with the Welsh Six Nations squad today, when he will be subject to further tests.
Clermont’s great precision saw them through to a victory that bagged them another pool win and a home quarter-final. Nobody is going to relish a trip to Stade Marcel-Michelin in the knock-out stages.
The visitors did well to hold out against a ferocious opening from the home side and were fortunate when English TMO Stuart Terheege ruled out a try in the sixth minute to wing Remi Grosso for putting a toenail in touch as he dived in at the left corner.
Adam Beard then did well to get through a driving lineout and thwart what seemed an inevitable march for the try-line by the home pack and the fans had to wait until the 25th minute for the first score.
It was scrum-half general Parra that paved the way for the opening points as he chipped over the top of a ruck on the Ospreys 22 towards the posts.
There was nobody home for the Welsh side as the ball bounced in-goal, but England wing Nick Abendanon chased faithfully and just won the race for the ball before it went dead.
Parra added the simple conversion and then kicked two penalties to stretch the home lead to 13 points at the break.
The Ospreys just missed out on the chance of their first points on the stroke of half-time when Biggar missed his first kick at goal in the tournament this season from the 10 metre line.
But the Welsh outsidehalf was at the heart of the move that got the visitors back into the contest just before the hour mark.
New Wales centre Owen Watkin had almost scored moments earlier after a brilliant break, ultimately losing the ball on the line by a steal from Abendanon, but a superb pop pass from Biggar released Scott Baldwin and the hooker’s pass found Ashley Beck on his own wide out on the left.
Beck’s try gave Biggar a massive conversion to try to bring his side within a score of the lead and he duly slotted the kick from the touchline. That made it 13-7 and gave the Ospreys a shot at victory.
A penalty conceded two metres inside their own half by the Ospreys then gave Parra the chance to shoot for goal and he made no mistake. A Greig Laidlaw penalty after a collapsed scrum and a breakaway try from a turnover on half-way by Luke McAlister completed a late surge from Clermont.