Bayonne have lent further credibility to their Heineken Cup and Top 14 ambitions this season, beating Clermont 17-6 in a typically rugged encounter on Friday.
After wearing down their illustrious opposition, the Bayonnais struck with a terrific try - tinged with the controversy of a forward pass - five minutes from time that killed the game off.
The match began in pouring rain which suited the home side, and their raucous fans, just fine.
Up the jumpers went for the ball - crash, bash, smash went the forwards.
Clermont tried to open the game up but the weather put paid to that ambition, and when it came to the physical contest, the visitors were found strangely wanting.
The score at the break was 3-3, but Bayonne should have been streets ahead. Manny Edmonds missed all four of his shots at goal, and opposite number Brock James landed his only one. That Bayonne were level was courtesy of a dropped goal by former Rugby League player Craig Gower. Edmonds also missed two of those!
Bayonne thus had the chances to have been 21-3 up at the break, which would have been about right. Their forwards were as tight as you like, and where Edmonds failed in terms of booting the points, he did everything right in getting his team into the right part of the field.
Edmonds must have changed his boots at the break, for within ten minutes of the restart he had his team 9-3 ahead, shortly before a sickening clash between Jean-Baptiste Peyras and Marius Joubert had the game halted for several minutes.
Edmonds landed his third to make it 12-3, but James pulled it back to 12-6 with thirten minutes remaining, and the home side looking a little tired.
James saw his third shot at goal of the night fall a metre short as Clermont began to stretch their hosts, but a stolen line-out from Mika Tewhata gave Bayonne possession on the half-way line with five minutes to go.
Out the ball came to Edmonds, who fired a terrific pass halfway across the pitch for Gower. Gower passed to Filimone Bolavucu - which looked from every angle as though it had gone at least a metre forward.
But the referee saw it otherwise, and Bolavucu's pace took him clear of Napolioni Nalaga, before his pass inside to Peyras had the latter on an easy run to the line, and saw the crowd erupt.
Bayonne are now sitting prtty in the top half of the table, but Clermont need to pull their socks up on the road.
The scorers:
For Bayonne:
Try: Peyras
Pens: Edmonds 3
Drop goal: Gower
For Clermont:
Pens: James 2