Oil cooler hose B5 2.7T
 

Yes that coolant hose spring clamp can be difficult to access, as well as the specialty shaped 3/4" coolant hoses on each side lower front face of the 2.7T especially the top driver side which is a few inches above the one you are trying to access. I use two types of spring clamp pliers that so far have worked for every location. One type is what looks like normal common pliers, but it has a lengthwise and widthwise machined notch in each of the two clamp faces to receive and hold the tips of the spring - simple and very handy. The other type is a bit more expensive and similar to what you describe, as both clamping notched faces swivel 360 so that you can get the clamping force in nearly any orientation independent of handle orientation. There is also a cable type spring clamp available that can be handy, where the clamping jaws and the handle are attached by a ~1 foot long sheathed cable. Some people access the 2 spring clamps of the coolant after run pump under the intake without removing the intake - fiddly yes but removing the intake is pretty fiddly too so your call.