They have been waiting for this since January 20 and a home victory against Cardiff in the Champions Cup (48-26).
Since then, the Racingmen had had five defeats in a row, all in the Top 14. We even had to go back to January 6‚ and a success (34-30) against Castre, to find the trace of a home victory in the championship.
A dark series which caused their fall from first to seventh place, which meant that they were no longer qualified for the final stages.
This Sunday evening, despite the absence of Nolann Le Garrec, retained with the Blues, the Ciel et Blanc moved forward again by winning against RC Toulon (20-6), thanks in particular to the skill of Tristan Tedder facing the poles.
Maxime Baudonne, established in the third row, set the tone from the first minutes.
After a very long sequence of play in the Toulon 22 meters, the pure product of Racing 92 was on the receiving end of a magnificent play from Tristan Tedder and flattened it into a corner.
Despite a failed first transformation, the South African then delivered an almost perfect performance.
🎉 𝚅𝙸𝙲𝚃𝙾𝙸𝚁𝙴!!!!
' #R92RCT
VICTOIIIRRREEE OF SKY AND WHITE!
See you on Saturday March 30 at Paris La Défense Arena against ASM Clermont Auvergne!
🎟️ Your places: https://t.co/im1TvHO4cQ
🩵🤍 20 - 06 ⚫🔴 |
#RacingFamily pic.twitter.com/CTzf5UBEPF
— Racing 92 (@racing92) March 10, 2024
On five occasions (18th, 34th, 37th, 47th, 61st), the opening half scored valuable penalties, sometimes from more than 50 meters, widening an increasingly significant gap.
Successive club blows which hurt the Toulonnais, unable to score points.
In the 27th minute, Gabin Villière, returning from injury, thought he would give his team a try, but a foul by David Ribbans at the start of the action forced the referee to cancel it.
Racing 92 back in the top 6
At the end of the match, Racing 92 held back.
Max Spring first pushed Yannick Youtoutte into touch to avoid a first Toulon try, before Henry Chavancy turned Dany Pirson into the goal to save his team again.
The RCT ultimately never found the solution.
Worse, Clovis Le Bail could have added a final try two minutes from time by intercepting a bad pass from Jack Singleton.
This was finally canceled because of an advance from the Ile-de-France region.
Read also Wales-France (24-45): The Imperial Garrec, a solid scrum… the notes of the Blues
Thanks to this victory, Racing 92 is back on par with Castres and the Section Pau, who also have 44 points.
The three teams share 5th, 6th and 7th places and should battle until the end of the season to secure their place for the final stages.
The Ciel et Blanc's next match is scheduled for Saturday March 23 in Castres... a crucial match against a direct competitor.