Challenge Cup: Clermont dismantle Ulster while Sharks down Edinburgh to set up clash at Stoop

The Challenge Cup moved a step closer to the final as Saturday saw Clermont and the Sharks advance to the semi-finals, beating Ulster and Edinburgh respectively. They join Gloucester who beat Ospreys on Friday, with Benetton and Connacht still left to play on Sunday.

Clermont Auvergne recorded a whopping 53-14 win over Ulster at the Stade Marcel-Michelin. The game was initially close in the first half before Clermont's quality proved too much for Ulster.

Nick Timoney opened the scoring for the visitors when he crashed over for his 10th try of the season. Clermont retaliated almost instantly to Timoney's score as Peceli Yato evaded a number of challenges from short range and dotted down to tie up the game at 7-7.

The host's momentum carried them through the rest of the half as they started to squeeze Ulster, scoring two penalties before Pita-Gus Sowakula, who set up Yato's earlier try, finished off an incisive move with a try of his own.

The game threatened to slip away from Ulster before half time, but a second try from Timoney for the province pulled them within six points of Clermont.

Alex Newsome picked up Clermont's third try shortly into the second half with a nifty bit of handling on the wing, shutting down any momentum that Ulster had forged.

The floodgates had opened, and Clermont soon added two more scores to their tally. Sowakula picked up his second before Rob Simmons darted over not long after, bringing the score up to 41-14 with 15 minutes to go.

Clermont were now running wild: a sixth try - a second for Yato - sent the Stade Marcel-Michelin fans into rapturous and the taste of another European semi-final was looming.

Ulster, fighting for pride, had one final surge as the game drew to a close but couldn't get over the line, instead conceding yet another try to bring up a final score of 53-14.

The French side will travel to London and The Stoop, Harlequins' home, to take on South African side the Sharks, who pulled away in a tight affair against Edinburgh.

The Sharks prevailed against Edinburgh in a match that had hung in the balance, but their quality saw them pull away from the Scots in the second half to win 36-30.

They head to The Stoop to face French outfit Clermont Auvergne.

The Scots controlled the early exchanges, with Ben Healy putting six points on the board in the first 20 minutes where they managed to keep a handle on Sharks' powerful forward pack.

The World Cup-winning combination of Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am unlocked Edinburgh's sturdy defence with a chip over the tip from Mapimpi, burning past a couple of defenders before slipping the ball to Am for a clear run to the line.

Roughly 10 minutes later the hosts doubled up their score, nabbing a second try through James Venter. It started with a delightful chip over Edinburgh's defence from Aphelele Fassi and after the hosts struggled to scramble back, leading Venter to cross the line with ease a few phases later.

Despite the Sharks' dominance, Edinburgh managed to finish the half two points up thanks to a Pierre Schoeman try and another penalty from Healy.

The Sharks finally managed to pull away within the first 15 minutes of the second half, scoring two penalties before Bongi Mbonambi grabbed his side's third try, as the Sharks really began to take control of the tie.

Edinburgh began to leak penalties. Two of which Siya Masuku converted, basically confirming his side's progression when a 71st minute penalty put 17 points between the two.

Edinburgh hit back late in the game as Hamish Watson crashed over from a lineout. And an 80th minute score from Dave Cherry cut the deficit to eight, but chasing the game late was too much for the Scots, and it's the Sharks who storm forward to the Challenge Cup semi-finals.

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