Beaten on the edge in the final by Exeter (31-27) on October 17, Racing 92 did not miss its first steps in this competition with the new formula by pocketing the victory and the offensive bonus against Connacht (26- 22) in his room at Paris-La-Défense-Arena. Despite a few drops in speed and fears at the end of the match, the Parisians, better armed and more powerful, achieved the essential before going to challenge the Harlequins in England next Sunday.
What you must remember
Faced with less powerful and rather clumsy Irishmen, the Racingmen seem to have gone for a walk with a river score. The Georges-Henri Colombe pillar marks the first test in strength (6th). The center Virimi Vakatawa belted then released escapes on the wing to offer the Australian back Kurtley Beale the second try (17th). The very young winger Donovan Taofifenua plays the acrobats to add to the addition in stride (24th). Then the Sky and White fall asleep. They are still within reach of their opponents at half-time (19-8). It was not until the 52nd minute to register the point of the offensive bonus thanks to the fourth try, the work of the second row Dominic Bird on a conquering maul. The Ile-de-France residents are still scared at the end of the match after having conceded a third Irish try (76th).
The player: Donovan Taofifenua
The fit man at the start of the season has struck again. At 21, the Ciel et Blanc winger continues to panic the counters. The former Clermontois, world champion with the under 20s, scored a new try, his eighth in nine games this season. This time, at the cost of acrobatics worthy of a gymnast.
In the 24th minute, he received a pass from Vakatawa on his left wing, rushed forward but was caught when diving into the in-goal by the last Irish defender. With his feet in the air, his body almost completely out of the field, he manages to flatten with one hand, in mid-flight.
The number: 7
Racing offered the French clubs a seventh success in eight games on this first day of the European Cup. In Pool B, that of Ile-de-France, Stade Toulousain won in Ireland against Ulster (29-22), and Lyon crushed Gloucester (55-10). In Pool A, Bordeaux-Bègles won in Northampton (16-12), Clermont in Bristol (51-38), Toulon ahead of Sale (26-14) and La Rochelle in Edinburgh (13-8). Only Montpellier lost on its ground in front of Leinster (35-14).
The phrase
“We made the game complicated by making a lot of mistakes in the second half. We know that we have no right to the slightest failure in this group stage. »By Fabien Sanconnie, third row of Racing 92.
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
