Top 14: Racing 92 qualified for the forceps play-offs at the expense of Toulon


Racing 92, virtually eliminated from the final phase until the 62nd minute, managed to regain the advantage against the run of play and qualify for the play-offs at the expense of Toulon (21-16), Sunday at the Arena, on the last day of the Top 14. Thanks to this victory, Laurent Travers’ men end the regular season in 6th place with 70 points, which sends them to the play-offs next weekend on the field of Bordeaux- Begles. If the yellow card imposed in the 60th minute by Var captain Charles Ollivon because of a foul on Teddy Thomas was the turning point of the match, the entry of young scrum half Nolan Le Garrec in the 47th also did a lot of good at the Ile-de-France club.

For Racing 92, 5th with 66 points before the start of the match, the equation was relatively simple: a victory or a draw and qualification was in the pocket, like every year since their return to the elite. As for the Var club, 7th with 64 points before his trip to Nanterre, the task was a little more difficult: a victory and it was the guaranteed ticket, but a draw forced him to depend on the results of Toulouse (6th, 66 pts) and Lyon (8th, 63 pts). We thought the Toulonnais demoralized by the defeat (30-12), clear, in the final of the European Challenge last weekend in Marseille against Lyon, and more tired than the Racingmen who, themselves, had been able to rest after their elimination in European Cup semi-final in Lens against La Rochelle (20-13).

Feverishness of Ile-de-France residents

But it was the RCT which was the most dangerous at the start of the match, before Racing 92 recovered thanks to a beautiful volley pass from Virimi Vakatawa for Yoan Tanga (5-6, 13th). The dynamic was however Toulon and, on a small kick to himself, in the five meters from the Ile-de-France, Carbonel found his Australian center Duncan Piaia’aua for the test (5-13, 26th). The first period, enamelled with tension, with a few hands on the collar on both sides, above all showed the feverishness of the Ile-de-France residents who harvested many chances, did not manage to conclude interceptions … In short, lost too many balloons, as anesthetized by the stakes.

So much so that at half-time (8-13), the RCT, bottom in February and author of a fantastic comeback at the end of the season (6 wins in a row in the Top 14), was qualified and Racing 92 eliminated : unimaginable for the Hauts-de-Seine club. A situation that Gaël Fickou’s teammates turned to their advantage, taking advantage of their numerical superiority on the hour mark, to finally qualify.



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