More powerful and solid in defense, Racing 92 easily won against the Scots of Edinburgh (56-3) this Sunday, April 4, in the round of 16 of the European Rugby Cup, on its synthetic pitch in Paris. La Defense Arena.
The defending vice-champion, beaten in the final by Exeter (31-27), on October 17, 2020, will challenge Bordeaux-Bègles or Bristol, next weekend in the quarter-finals, to hope to continue his journey towards conquest of his first European Cup.
What you must remember
Picked cold on the first Scottish action, a try finally refused for a forward, the Sky and White then made speak their power.
More precise, better organized, more solid, Laurent Travers' players got their hands on the match thanks to tests by hooker Camille Chat in force (26th) and scrum half Maxime Machenaud, after a good charge from 3rd row Jordan Joseph, served by a chistera from the Virimi Vakatawa center (35th).
At the break, the Racingmen did the hardest (20-3).
Only problem, and of size, they lost their captain Henry Chavancy, wounded in the left shoulder while falling back to one meter of the Scottish line after a charge within the pack.
Evacuated on a stretcher, the three-quarters center of Ile-de-France seems to be suffering from a dislocation of the shoulder.
Upon returning from the locker room, the Ciel et Blancs, intractable in defense, focused on containing the rough assaults of the Scots.
Quietly.
Without trembling.
Without forcing.
Jordan Joseph adding a third test in strength (62nd), before Guram Gogichashvili (67th), Teddy Thomas (70th, 75th) and
François Trinh-Duc (80th) does not add to the bill without too much opposition.
The only false note of the afternoon concerns the damage within the Ile-de-France group.
After Henry Chavancy, the second row Dominic Bird had to leave his family on a stretcher (62nd), suffering from neck pain after a headlong charge.
"These are high intensity matches, there is a lot of commitment," said manager Laurent Travers.
The player: Camille Chat (Racing 92)
Lining of Toulousain Julien Marchand with the XV of France, the hooker of Ciel et Blanc had ants in the legs.
Very active from the start, he struck, scratched and poisoned the lives of Scots.
Untenable, Camille Chat scored a test (26th) in strength and saved his family from an Edinburgh test by slipping under the ball in the heart of a grouping behind his goal line, just before mid -time.
The number: 4
Racing qualified for a fourth quarter-final in a row.
Since its arrival in the competition in 2010, the Ile-de-France club has participated in three finals, all lost, in 2016, against Saracens (21-9), in 2018, against Leinster (15-12), and in 2020, ahead of Exeter (31-27).