Racing 92’s new English star Owen Farrell began his Top 14 story with a defeat on Saturday in Castres (31-28), where he scored his first points but also suffered two foot failures which ultimately cost him dearly.
The 32-year-old fly-half, the top scorer for the XV de la Rose, with whom he has 112 caps, is one of the attractions this season in the French championship, which he is discovering after having spent his entire career at Saracens until then.
Associated with the hinge of the young Kléo Labarbe (20 years old) in the absence of the international scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec, injured, Farrell had a thwarted first half.
He only waited about ten minutes before scoring his first points in the Top 14, converting a try from his compatriot Henry Arundell.
Praised this week by his teammates for his rigor and professionalism, the Englishman converted three other tries (8 points in total), but he missed two penalties, for a success rate of 4 out of 6 on foot.
The successor to the Scot Finn Russell at fly-half for Racing, who has a tradition of renowned players in this position (Dan Carter, Juan Martin Hernandez, etc.), also showed his usual character.
He was penalized after an hour of play for a protest against referee Benoit Rousselet, to whom he spoke in English.
Another recruit from the Paris region, international second row Romain Taofifenua, distinguished himself with a try and came close to scoring a second in the final minutes.
An end to the match full of twists and turns, during which Castres snatched victory thanks to a try from its new Cameroonian winger Christian Ambadiang, who had already made a decisive defensive comeback earlier in the match.
cor-sdu/bvo
