Playing in a cauldron, a pot or a pressure cooker, given the heavy and stormy weather that reigned over Paris, it warms hearts, that's for sure, it stimulates the spirits, perhaps, but it does not change the logic things. The public is not a magic wand. The supporters transcend but they do not transform a team. On its Jean-Bouin lawn, in front of nearly 15,000 people, the Stade Français did not do much better than two and a half months earlier, under the roof and the deserted stands of Paris La Défense Arena, when it had suffered the law of Racing 92 in the Top 14 jump-off (38-21). This Saturday, the Parisians have again underlined all the way which separated them from a team aiming for the top of the table by losing widely (36-21).
Not yet well regulated or not sharp enough, they made a copy much too muddled to hope to worry better organized Ciel et Blanc. A powerful scrum and a good touch are not enough in a rugby where a ball lost on the way has become a rare treasure and conducive to rocking a meeting. Racing has understood this for a long time and it relies on experts in the field. Juan Imhoff, Virimi Vakatawa or Gaël Fickou, whistled during the presentation of the players, know how to mess with the first object found. The test of winger Donovan Taofifenua (28th) is the perfect example. A ball lost by Maestri at the level of the halfway line, Imhoff recovers it, pierces, passes in the back, blindly, for Tanga who rejects Taofifenua. Magistral. Implacable. The Sky and White fly away (20-6). The match is folded.
Captain of the Day 🦸 # RacingFamily # SFPR92 pic.twitter.com/LgHoYmoBuN
- Racing 92 (@ racing92) September 4, 2021
The players of the capital, far from being capital letters during this reunion with their public, will always be able to reflect on their obstinacy to pass in force while a new rule now gives the advantage to the defending team when the ball does not. is not clearly flattened behind the line. They may also regret their lack of nerve. Their oxygen was undoubtedly more on the wings - the Naivalu test attests it (66th) - and Laumape, their rookie from the All Blacks, was too little solicited on the game launches. Racing, him, took the points he wanted to take. Nothing famous but already some certainties. Its majestic cavalry is about to make many defenses dizzy, its stability seems to protect it from big road trips, and its striker Machenaud is still just as precise.Still, he has revealed weaknesses within the pack, especially in closed melee, which can cost him dearly when it comes to challenging the big guys. Even on its synthetic lawn in La Défense. Because the public does not do everything.
