The game: 14-31
As much as nothing had happened during the first period, Racing taking the lead 6-9 at the break, the second period was rich in twists and turns. Abandoning systematic kicking – the football World Cup syndrome, no doubt – the two teams began to take initiatives, like the Ile-de-France scrum-half Teddy Iribaren bypassing the defense to score the first try of this closing match of the twelfth day.
Reduced to 14 after the yellow card received by Ibrahim Diallo (50th) for a dangerous tackle, the Racingmen conceded a goal (50th) then a try (58th), signed Beka Gigashvili, in the wake of a furious tumble from his pack teammates . Baptiste Serin was unable to ensure the easy transformation (see below) and, back at full strength, the Ile-de-France residents played it fine, Antoine Gibert delivering a model lob behind the Var defense, taken over by his center Olivier Klemenczak for a try at the foot of the posts (61st).
In the lead, 14-21, the Racingmen, in second composition, knew how to perfectly control this end of the match, especially since when the substitute scrum half Benoît Paillaugue missed a goal in his strings (67th), the captain Ile-de-France Teddy Iribaren succeeded in his (71st), taking the Toulonnais out of the defensive bonus. A try refused to Donovan Taofifenua (75th), a drop-goal missed by Teddy Iribaren (75th), a try for Volavola (80th): Racing 92 managed to keep the RCT in its camp until the end and even dreamed of an offensive bonus.
Clumsy, lacking in imagination, not very conquering in touch and in melee, deprived of a half of opening of profession by refusing to align together Benoît Paillaugue and Baptiste Serin, the Toulonnais had absolutely no argument to put forward , Sunday night. With this defeat, the RCT drops from 7th to 9th place while Racing 92, with this fifth success in a row, becomes the runner-up to Toulouse.
The fact: Baptiste Serin deceived by the tee
Their defeat is quite large, but in another case, the Toulonnais could have regretted the two points that flew away from the easy transformation of Beka Gigashvili’s try (58th). Badly posed, the ball fell from the tee when Baptiste Serin rushed to hit it. Mastering the rule as well as the referee, the Racingmen rushed to get their hands on this ball and the transformation was not retyped. Two points less for the Varois and a small game incident, very rare at this level of competition.