For the fifth time (after 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2021), there will be three French representatives in the last four of the most beautiful European Cups.
A team from the Top 14 is guaranteed to play in the final;
Racing 92 or La Rochelle who will face each other in Lens next Sunday (4 p.m.).
In the other semi-final, a clash of titans in Dublin (Saturday, 4 p.m.) between the two most successful teams on the Old Continent: Leinster (4 crowns) and Stade Toulousain (5).
Racing in two stages
The mission of Ciel et Blanc was clear on Sunday: compete against the power of the Sale players and try to impose a hellish pace on them to exhaust them.
On the synthetic turf of the Nanterre Arena, conducive to movement rugby, it is difficult to rely solely on a frontal game.
The suburbanites of Manchester therefore tried, from the outset, a few attacks, created the biggest chances but lacked accuracy in the last gesture.
Jostled, the Ile-de-France residents ended up cracking just before the break, conceding a try from Manu Tuilagi (6-10).
Laurent Travers' players ended up waking up when they returned from the locker room, scoring two sumptuous tries by Teddy Thomas and Finn Russell.
With, each time, a devilish footwork.
The English will not recover,
conceding two other tries (superb) by Juan Imhoff and Max Spring (41-22 in the end).
Racing climbs for the fourth time in the last continental square.
A stage of the competition where he has never lost.
It was in the final that he stumbled in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Will this year be the right one?
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Stunning Stade Toulousain
At the end of the suspense.
Toulouse, reigning European champion, managed the feat of winning in Dublin against Munster after
an incredible penalty shootout (4 to 2).
At the end of regulation time, the two teams were tied (24-24) with each of three tries scored and had to play extra time, during which no points were scored.
Place therefore in penalties, a first since 2009 and the victory of Leicester against Cardiff for a place in the final.
In this little game, the Toulouse scorers Thomas Ramos, Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont did not tremble, achieving a clear round.
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“It was the whole match that was incredible, because we were playing against Munster at the Aviva Stadium, there was a large audience, all red and hot all match
, said Romain Ntamack.
Toulouse-Munster is a historic poster in the European Cup.
There, there is a scenario which is fabulous and which smiles at us at the end.
So we're proud of that."
Les Rouge et Noir qualified for the fourteenth continental semi-final in their history.
To reach the final, they will have to get rid of Leinster, again in Dublin, which hit hard by going to win at Leicester (14-23), leader of the English championship.
After Ulster in the eighth, Munster in the quarters, the players of Ugo Mola will therefore have to scrap, Saturday, with another Irish province.
A real obstacle course.
La Rochelle is gaining momentum
Confirmation that Stade Rochelais has changed dimension on the European scene.
Unlucky finalists of the last edition of the Champions Cup (defeat against Toulouse), the Maritimes again qualified for the last four by dominating Montpellier with composure and mastery (31-19) at the Marcel-Deflandre stadium.
La Rochelle has therefore reached the semi-finals for the second time in its history and will face Racing 92 in Lens.
Former All Black Victor Vito was decisive in this meeting, as was New Zealand opener Ihaia West, impeccable in his role as scorer with 16 points (6/7).
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“We have some air pockets, we take cap tests. We can't afford to give points so easily. A quarter of the Champions Cup is never easy, we knew it wouldn't be a cakewalk. But I felt the team quite calm, quite serene, and the contribution of the bench did us good
, ”appreciated Grégory Alldritt, number 8 from La Rochelle.
For its part, the MHR will have to focus only on the Top 14, where it is the leader, and validate, during the last two days, its ticket for the semi-finals.
Not quite a formality for Héraultais beaten for the fourth time in a row, in all competitions.
Toulon and Lyon in the last four of the Challenge Cup
Winner of the London Irish at Mayol (19-18), the Rugby Club Toulonnais qualified for the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup and will face the English Saracens, in a remake of the 2014 final of the great European Cup won by the RCT (24-6).
Long jostled at home on Sunday, the Var will still have the advantage of the field against Owen Farrell and his teammates next Saturday (9 p.m.).
Before perhaps playing a final, not far away, at the Vélodrome de Marseille (May 27).
The RCT could find the other qualified French club there, Lyon, which defeated the Scots of Glasgow (35-27) on Saturday.
Pierre Mignoni's players were able to overturn a badly started match as they were trailing 13-27 in the 50th minute, after conceding a penalty try and a yellow card for Léo Berdeu.
