PENALTY CLERMONT. James makes no mistake from just right of the posts and punishes Racing's ill-discipline.

YELLOW CARD RACING. The visitors woes have been worsened with centre Henry Chavancy sinn binned for cynically slowing down the ball after he hauled down the impressive Lee just short of the line.

Racing are in real trouble of being blown aside already and without even 20 minutes played. Nao Seru Nakaitaci in particular is proving very dangerous anytime he gets ball in hand. Racing haven't got a foothold at all yet.

TRY CLERMONT. Another try for Clermont in quick succession. A fine back move resulted in Benson Stanley off-loading exquisitely to hooker Benoit Cabello who found himself in unfamiliar territory on the wing but showed expert footwork and power to score in the corner. James misses again from a difficult angle. 13-0 Clermont.

TRY CLERMONT. Unsurprisingly the early pressure from the home side leads to a try and it's former All-Black Sitiveni Sivivatu who scores in the corner. It comes after strong carrying from the forwards, Fritz Lee in particualr, stretched the away defence and when Regan King found Sivivatu out wide there was no stopping him. James misses from the touchline. 8-0 Clermont.

More pressure from Clermont, they seem too strong early on anyway but still early days.

PENALTY CLERMONT. Brock James is given an easy chance to strike from underneath the penalty after pressure on the Racing line resulted in a penalty. 3-0 Clermont.

Powerful start from the home side who immediately put pressure on the Racing line.

And we're underway!!

Good afternoon and welcome to our coverage of this heavy-weight clash from the French Top 14. This is the last week where club sides will suffer as a result of international fixtures but that doesn't do much to take away from the quality of both these teams. The home side Clermont can still afford to boast a frightening back-line, orchestrated by the mercurial Broc James at 10 with threats all over the field from the likes of Sitiveni Sivivatu and Nao Seru Nakaitaci in particular. The visitors Racing are perhaps a little bit more depleted but nonetheless a talented outfit. Their pack in particular look menacing with a front row including Soane Tonga'uiha and Luc Ducalcon sure to cause problems for any opposition. Both sides are in a congestated pack at the top of the table with only one point separating the top 5 as it stands, making this a crucial encounter. Clermont will be gunning for revenge after their 13-9 defeat against the Parisians in Europe earlier this season and we all know how formidable they can be at home. A fascinating game is in in store, enjoy!