Saracens boss Mark McCall knows that Clermont will be backed by plenty of neutrals in Saturday’s Champions Cup final.
Les Jaunards are yet to win the competition having lost to Toulon in both the 2013 and 2015 finals.
Arguably the best club in Europe to have never won a European Cup, McCall expects Clermont to get the backing of the neutral supporters at Murrayfield, adding to their already passionate set of fans.
McCall was also full of praise for the club’s resolve in recent times to bounce back from losing in both European and Top 14 finals, while also acknowledging that Clermont are not quite like any other French club.
Clermont also got the better of Saracens when the two sides met in the Champions Cup semi-finals back in 2015.
“Clermont are a really good team and it is unbelievable how much support they will get from the neutrals this weekend who will want to see them win after losing two finals,” McCall told EPC Rugby.
“It takes a certain type of club to keep coming back as they have done. They are constantly in the top two in the Top 14 and reaching the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup.
“There is something different about them compared to other French teams. They have been together for a long time and have a real core to them – you can see the spirit.
“And in terms of their rugby, they have everything – a fantastic pack of forwards and a good scrum; half-backs who manage and control games and then some real firepower in the back line.
“They have good options at centre with Aurélien Rougerie, who is the heartbeat of the club, and then the rising young star in Damian Penaud, who has been exceptional this season.
“For ourselves, you’d hope we’ve moved on since last year as a team. The team hasn’t changed much since the semi-final defeat to Clermont in St Etienne in 2015 – we’ve just got better.”
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