In Paris La Defense Arena
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Racing at the rendezvous
The Champions Cup is one of Racing 92's priority objectives. The club makes no secret of it.
Despite a more than disappointing score this Sunday against Paris, the players of Laurent Travers climb to the quarter-finals of the continental competition, where they will challenge the English of Sale, a club in the suburbs of Manchester.
No back and forth confrontation this time, return to a dry, knockout match, which the Ile-de-France residents will have the advantage of playing at Paris La Défense Arena.
Jacky Lorenzetti's club is still in the running for a first continental title, having stumbled on the last step in 2016 against Saracens, in 2018 against Leinster and finally in 2020 against Exeter.
The reaction of pride of the Pink Soldiers
They were promised hell, a new rout at Paris La Défense after having sunk there in the Top 14 and after the setback conceded last week to Jean-Bouin.
And it didn't.
Gonzalo Quesada's players have stood up and competed with their neighbors in 92, who have long been without a solution.
The Parisians' game plan was simple: war of rucks and rain of candles.
Which totally destabilized Wenceslas Lauret and his teammates.
In the end, Stade Français achieved the best of its three matches against Racing this Sunday.
And he can leave the Champions Cup with his head held high.
Despite being 13 points behind in the first leg, the Soldats Roses never gave up.
Neither took on water from all sides.
It took until the 57th minute for Racing to take the lead on the scoreboard.
Lapègue in the good shots
In the first half dominated by the Parisians, Adrien Lapègue put himself in value by achieving a double.
For his first try, the Parisian winger is shifted along the line by Veainu, following a volleyed candle by Glover.
After a perfectly controlled slide, he manages to flatten.
On his second try, well offset by his opener Nicolas Sanchez, the player trained at Aviron Bayonnais (arrived in Paris in 2018-2019) catches Teddy Thomas to go flat in the in-goal.
Maximum realism for the player who will join Provence Rugby (Pro D2) next season.
Claw strokes
Naivalu ruins everything
A completely failed match.
Two yellow cards in 35 minutes of play for a totally justified expulsion while Stade Français led 15-6 and had only 4 points behind to fill.
First yellow card in the 19th minute for a dangerous tackle.
Return to the field and second yellow card for a charge in the shoulder, without tackling, on Dupichot.
Goodbye and thank you… The funniest part of the story?
It was Veainu who appeared before the referee after this second bad gesture.
He really thought it would pass?
It did not fail to make Chavancy laugh who was in the front row.
And it was finally Naivalu who was called by the referee to receive his second yellow card.
The turning point of the game.
Paris - already penalized last week by the
The huge mess of Sky and White
Caught by the throat, the Racingmen totally missed their first period.
In addition to being dominated in front and in the impacts, the players of Laurent Travers wasted many test opportunities.
Like this totally failed pass from Camille Chat for Juan Imhoff, when the difference was made after a sumptuous breakthrough by Gaël Fickou (25th).
Or this forward from Boris Palu (31st), while Yoan Tanga had torn the Parisian defensive curtain.
So many signs of feverishness for Ciel et Blanc, totally out of the game in the first period.
Finn Russell, the king of "someday it's yes, someday it's no", was not a good day on Sunday.
Guilty of failures and inaccuracies in his game. In the end, the essential is assured for Racing, but Laurent Travers will surely have a lot to complain about.