JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN

The smile on Christophe Urios’s face said it all, as his Clermont side ended a year-long losing streak on the road when they beat Richard Cockerill’s struggling Montpellier 20-17 at the GGL Stadium yesterday. Sometimes, it turns out, the numbers do lie – or at least give the wrong impression if you don’t look closely enough, or deeply enough, or at the right numbers. Clermont headed into the sixth round of the Top 14 season in fourth place, with 14 points from three wins in their first five matches. But early season table...