Gazeta Lodz - Raka hat-trick helps Clermont past Lyon

NYSE - LSE

BCC	-1.49%	78.77	$
CMSD	0.09%	21.18	$
CMSC	0.16%	21.31	$
JRI	-0.32%	12.4	$
AZN	-1.06%	164.52	$
RIO	0.08%	104.78	$
NGG	-1.38%	79.43	$
RYCEF	-0.48%	20.75	$
VOD	-0.38%	15.88	$
RBGPF	-0.62%	70.69	$
BCE	-0.38%	23.4	$
BTI	-2.06%	56.28	$
BP	-0.38%	42.34	$
GSK	-2.31%	50.27	$
RELX	2.64%	36.3	$

Raka hat-trick helps Clermont past Lyon

SPORTS 01.10.2022

Raka hat-trick helps Clermont past Lyon / Photo: © AFP

France winger Alivereti Raka scored three times as Clermont easily overcame Lyon 43-20 at home in the French Top 14 on Saturday.

Text size:

Fijian-born Raka, who made the last of his five Test appearances in December 2020, crossed twice before the break and then claimed his first hat-trick in five years with half an hour to play.

The win sends the outfit from central France, who scored six tries in glorious autumnal sunshine, up to third in the table after five rounds of the season.

Les Bleus scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud and Springboks' No. 8 Arno Botha claimed tries for the visitors who continue to look for their first victory at Stade Marcel Michelin since 1939.

Elsewhere, Fiji's Olympic champion Jiuta Wainiqolo clinched his third try of the season as Toulon beat Pau 34-17 and South African stand-off Tristan Tedder was succesful with three penalties as Perpignan held on to edge last season's runners-up Castres 14-10.

Ex-Ireland centre Sammy Arnold scored his first try for Brive as the 1997 European champions held on for a 25-22 success over Bayonne.

The Basques secured an 82nd-minute defensive bonus point thanks to Springboks No. 8 Uzair Cassiem's effort off the bench.

Earlier, France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert kicked all Bordeaux-Begles' points as they beat Stade Francais 15-10 at home.

Jalibert, 23, the understudy to Romain Ntamack for Les Bleus, slotted five penalty goals as his club claimed their second win of the season.

Georgia prop Giorgi Melikidze crossed in additional time to also claim a losing bonus point for the Parisians.

Later Saturday, South Africa full-back Warrick Gelant is set to make his club debut off the bench as Racing 92 head to La Rochelle.

On Sunday, league leaders Toulouse travel to champions Montpellier but they rest World Rugby player of the year Antoine Dupont, with Arthur Retiere partnering his brother Edgar at half-back.

D.Kaminski--GL

Featured

Japanese rugby U-turns on limits on naturalised players

Japan's top club rugby competition said Friday it had watered down plans for an eligibility rule that prompted foreign-born Japan internationals to launch a legal challenge claiming discrimination.

Australia's McKeown vows to reclaim backstroke world records

Five-time Olympic swimming champion Kaylee McKeown vowed Friday to reclaim her 50m and 100m backstroke world records while also setting her sights on staying in the pool until the 2032 Brisbane Games.

Boston Legacy FC Delays White Stadium Debut to 2028

Boston Legacy FC has confirmed that its long-awaited move to the renovated White Stadium in Franklin Park will take place in 2028, pushing back the original timeline by one year. The delay follows a recent state Supreme Judicial Court decision that resolved legal disputes surrounding the construction project, allowing work to proceed without further litigation.

In shadow of Premier League, Serie A flexes financial muscle

For Italian football this has been a chastening year, yet, ahead of a likely frenzy before their transfer window shuts on September 1, Serie A clubs have spent the summer asserting their place in Europe's financial pecking order.