Bath’s quest to reach the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup will be halted after a 40-21 win over French challengers Clermont Auvergne.
Clermont’s first win of this season’s Champions Cup campaign came in bonus-point fashion at the Recreation Ground after Giorgi Akhaladze was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the 25th minute.
fixture
Investec Champions Cup
bath
clermont
Bath may need at least a point from next Saturday’s Test Pool 2 finale against Leinster in Dublin to secure one of the three remaining spots alongside the Irish heavyweights.
Clermont, La Rochelle, Bristol and Benetton also remain in the mix, but Bath got the early work done, claiming the five points they needed through a try-double from prop Thomas du Toit and a touchdown from fly-half Finn Russell. -Back Tom de Glanville, wing Joe Cocanasci and center Ollie Lawrence.
Russell added five conversions but Clermont kept plugging away despite having players down for nearly an hour and were rewarded with tries from Folau Fainga’a, Anthony Belleau and Peceli Yato, with Belleau scoring three conversions.
They now host Bristol in the final weekend of pool action, with Benetton holding home advantage over La Rochelle.
attack 
173m
post contact meter
171m
Bath knew the pressure was mounting but showed no signs of nervousness as they went ahead after just 105 seconds.
Center Max Ojomoh broke through Clermont’s midfield and when possession moved wide, De Glanville finished impressively for Russell to convert for a 7-0 lead.
Clermont were unable to gain a foothold in the game and fell further behind on seven minutes when sustained pressure by Bath’s forwards earned a deserved finish when Russell added the conversion after diving in from close range.
There was no harm in scoring and three-time Champions Cup finalists Clermont halved the hosts’ advantage midway through the opening period when Fainga’a broke through Bath’s defense and Belleau converted.
England coach Steve Borthwick, who announced his Six Nations squad on Tuesday, watched Clermont fight back strongly, but the visitors suffered a major blow 15 minutes before half-time.
Referee Mike Adamson assessed video replays before deciding that Akhaladze’s high, swinging arm strike on Ojomoh warranted a red card, putting the visitors in considerable dispute.
Their problems were highlighted in Bath’s next attack, which started with a perfect kick that was caught at full speed by Ojomoh before Russell delivered a scoring pass to Kokanasiga.
Russell’s conversion made it 21-7 but Clermont had no intention of sinking and gave hope just before Belleau scored a converted try of his own, making it a seven-point game once again.
Bath took their foot off the pedal and Belleau tacked a touchdown within two minutes of the restart, but it was disallowed due to a knock-on in build-up play.
The home side needed a fresh push and it arrived midway through the third quarter from Du Toit after Bath’s pack had been hammered facing Clermont’s line.
Russell’s bonus-point try conversion provided breathing room. Du Toit added his second five minutes from time before Yato crossed for Clermont and Belleau converted.
Clermont showed impressive resilience considering Bath’s numerical advantage but were pulled back eight minutes from time through a Lawrence score converted by Russell.
