Traveling to the pitch of promoted Vannes at the opening of the 5th day of the Top 14, Racing 92 managed to end a series of two defeats in a row thanks to a short success (24-27).
Racing 92 is reassured. Beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles then La Rochelle, the Ile-de-France club had to win on the pitch of promoted Vannes to avoid falling into crisis. Stuart Lancaster’s players once thought they had opened the score in the 6th minute but a screen earlier in this action convinced the referee to refuse it. A warning that the Bretons have received. Indeed, it was they who ended up striking first after the first ten minutes of the match. Taking advantage of a well-seen cross pass from Joe Edwards, Salesi Rayasi put the Ciel-et-Blanc defense out of position to go to queen and bring the crowd at the Stade de la Rabine to their feet. But the euphoria did not last very long as Vinaya Habosi was responsible for relaunching Racing 92 just six minutes later. The Fijian took advantage of a long sequence to cross the line with ball in hand and flatten the Ile-de-France team’s first try. The scorers then responded with Maxime Lafage putting Vannes back in front on the scoreboard before seeing Nolann Le Garrec respond with just over five minutes remaining in the first period.
Racing 92 took shelter
It was the reigning Pro D2 champions who struck last in these 40 minutes. After the siren, after a throw-in played from five meters away, Cyril Blanchard improved the work of his forwards. The RCV hooker was able to flatten a try transformed by Maxime Lafage which gave the Morbihanais seven lengths ahead when returning to the locker room. Except that the second period did not experience the same scenario. Stuart Lancaster brought in fresh blood from the restart and the dynamic of the match changed dramatically. However, the efforts of the Ciel-et-Blanc did not pay off immediately. Feleti Kaitu’u thought he had victoriously concluded a carried ball but the referee judged that this breakthrough came with a second maul, which is against the regulations. Which was just a setback. Indeed, it was six minutes later that the Racing 92 hooker was able to exult. After a throw-in recovered by Cameron Woki, the entire Ile-de-France collective came together to send Feleti Kaitu’u over the line. Nolann Le Garrec’s transformation put the two teams back on level terms with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Vannes snatches the defensive bonus
The turning point of the match will remain the yellow card received by Alex Arrate in the 62nd minute, which paid for the disciplinary errors of his team. After a failed first attempt, Owen Farrell’s kicking play from the left wing to the right wing was successful. After receiving the ball, Max Spring was able to shift Gaël Fickou for a crucial try. A penalty from Nolann Le Garrec at the start of the last ten minutes consolidated Racing 92’s position. However, the yellow card received by Feleti Kaitu’u at the very end of the match made the Ciel-et-Blancs falter. Thomas Moukoro took the opportunity to put Vannes back in the defensive bonus window with just under two minutes still to play. The last action saw Racing 92 secure the ball in touch to seal the fate of the match. The Ile-de-France residents win by three points (24-27) and give themselves some breathing space in the Top 14 ranking. Vannes, for its part, confirms that the transition from Pro D2 to the elite is complicated with a fourth defeat in five days.
