Clermont Auvergne hold off Munster

An impressive defensive display earned Clermont Auvergne a 16-9 victory over Munster in the European Champions Cup.

Clermont took the lead in just the second minute with a drive which forced the hosts back, allowing Fritz Lee to peel away and score the first try of the night.

The visitors continued to look very dangerous with their fast attacking play, but the deficit was reduced when Munster's Ian Keatley comfortably converted a penalty.

However, Clermont responded well as Wesley Fofana received a pass from Lee before storming away to extend his side's advantage.

Keatley hit back for Munster again, but Camille Lopez, who had missed both of his previous conversion attempts, scored two penalties to make it 16-6 at the interval.

Clermont's defensive superiority became clear early in the second half as Munster struggled to make progress, despite spending long spells with the ball in hand.

Keatley boosted the home side's chances with another perfect penalty to pull it back to 16-9 with 20 minutes to go.

However, Clermont held firm to secure the victory and stay top of Pool A.