ASM Clermont Auvergne hooker Benjamin Kayser admitted “it feels absolutely incredible” to lift the European Rugby Challenge Cup after defeating La Rochelle 36-16 in the showpiece final at St. James Park in Newcastle on Friday night. After five defeats in European finals, an emotional Kayser was left beaming after the comprehensive victory over their TOP 14 rivals, admitting that “it is an amazing feeling to walk away with a European medal.” The 34-year-old said: “We have been building up to this all season and we have been fighting hard. “It feels absolutely incredible. We know La Rochelle and we knew this was going to be a strong battle. We had to bite some bullets early doors to keep ourselves in the game, but we held tight and it is an amazing feeling to walk away with a European medal after all these years.” And now Clermont have tasted Challenge Cup success, Kayser believes this squad now has the strength and confidence to go on to bigger things next season. https://twitter.com/btsportrugby/status/1126951785116127233 He added: “This is a new era for the club and we have some guys who are just discovering what it is like to win trophies. “People used to say there was a curse in Clermont – there were so many lost finals, people said it was a curse, but we knew there was always a reason for those defeats - there was a better team in front of us. “All these guys don’t have the heavy burden of the past - this new generation have reached a milestone tonight and I hope they will continue to step up in years to come.”