Top 14: beaten by Montpellier, has Racing lost its bearings?

We can look everywhere for the reasons for a fiasco.

In the stands perhaps, why not, where the South African world champions had taken their seats?

In training in the Val-de-Marne before their November tour in Great Britain, the Springboks and their coach, seated on the stands of Paris La Défense Arena, overwhelmed the South African scrum-half of Montpellier Corbus Reinach, author two tries and a masterful match.

Mauricio Pochettino, the PSG coach, was also there.

Juan Imhoff, his Argentinian compatriot has also scored a try but the effect on the Sky and White stopped there.

Racing dropped the flag for the first time this season on its synthetic turf by losing against Montpellier (32-21).

"There is no point in looking for excuses"

Laurent Travers, the Ile-de-France manager, tries an explanation.

He speaks of waste in “management”, of “conservation” problems and too many “lost balloons”.

Yes but why ?

“We are aware of the situation in which we find ourselves,” he adds.

There are a lot of absentees but it is useless to dwell on it and look for excuses, because it is with the players present that we work.

"

Many absent, no doubt.

But there was still a great selection of big names in the sky and white jersey this Saturday.

Fickou, Vakatawa, the center pair of the XV of France, it's not so bad.

Imhoff and Taofifenua on the wings, things are going fast too.

Le Garrec, promising talent in the fray, replaced by Machenaud, former international, we have seen worse.

The 3rd line Diallo, also called by the Blues for the November tour, his friend Tanga, the pillars Kolingar and Colombe, the 2nd line Palu… And Russell and Chavancy who entered the second half….

Difficult to be choosy all the same.

We will have to shine against Toulouse

By going back a little the film of this first part of Top 14, one realizes on the other hand that the Racing paid, against a rather solid block, the addition which it had avoided vis-a-vis feverish adversaries. His success in Toulon (27-20) last week and two weeks ago against Perpignan (17-14) sounded like warnings, whatever the Ile-de-France manager says. “No, there is no warning, retorts Laurent Travers. In Toulon, our match was over. We know very well that all the meetings are going to be tough. "

In a Top 14 tight as ever, Racing, fourth in the standings, is obviously still in the game, among the six qualified for the final phase.

But it would be better to take advantage next Sunday of the coming to Defense of a Toulouse Stadium deprived of its ten best players retained by the XV of France to garner points.

Otherwise you will have to ask yourself some serious questions.