Racing 92 will return to the semi-finals of the Top 14 after their victory in the capital derby on Saturday in the play-offs against their neighbor Stade Français (33-20), reduced to fourteen after five minutes of play. Les Ciel et Blanc will face Toulouse on Friday in San Sebastian for a place in the final. Absent from the last four last season, the Ile-de-France region will therefore play their seventh Top 14 semi-final since their rise to the top flight in 2009-2010.
For that, they were able to count on a try from Juan Imhoff (10th), Wenceslas Lauret (19th) and Gaël Fickou (79th) as well as the precision at the feet of Finn Russell (16 points, 100% success). But also, and above all, on a surplus of indiscipline on the Parisian side (12 penalties conceded), starting with the red card of the Parisian third line Marcos Kremer on a clearing at the level of the head on the Scottish opener from Racing.
Seventh Shield of Brennus?
This third expulsion of the season for the Argentinian, after the red cards received against Pau in the league (31-29 victory in October) then against Scotland in selection (52-29 defeat in November), tipped the game on the side of the visitors who have not lost to Jean-Bouin since December 2017.
This series of invincibility on the other side of the ring road, now increased to seven successes in a row, above all allows Laurent Travers’ men to dream of a seventh Shield of Brennus, the first since 2016.