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Patricio Fernández scored 12 points for Clermont today in the club’s away match against Grenoble. The teams competed to a 27-27 draw with Fernández and Frenchman Gaitan Germain involved in a goal-kicking dual. Fernández slotted five goals and Germain 6.
In a good all-round match, Fernández was involved in two tries. Passes from the Rosario play-maker went to Alivereti Raka and Peceli Yato who scored in the 57th and 68th minutes.
The fixture was the opening match of week 9 of the Top 14. In sharing the spoils Clermont move to 32 points in the table and Grenoble to 14. Clermont hold on to top spot, five points above Stade Français who are to play away against Lyon on Sunday.
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Fernández is among the leading Argentine fly halves today. The 24-year-old is a candidate to play for Los Pumas at RWC 2019. Many though he ought to have been selected for RWC 2015 with then Head Coach Daniel Hourcade instead taking Santiago González Iglesias.
This past week new Head Coach, Mario Ledesma dumped González Iglesias from the roster. In his place the uncapped Joaquín Díaz Bonilla will travel to Europe for the November Internationals. The Hindú fly half joins Nicolás Sánchez in the roster.
Earlier in the year Juan Martín Hernández retired. With this being followed by Sánchez signing for Stade Français it left Los Jaguares without a capped fly half for the 2019 Super Rugby campaign.
Sánchez’ move sees him joining the two other clear top three Argentine fly halves today – Patricio Fernández and Benjamín Urdapilleta (Castres). Urdapilleta was Man of the Match in the 2018 Top 14 Final and both he and Fernández must be in the frame to play in RWC 2019 in Japan.
