The Ile-de-France residents, under pressure, consolidated their sixth place by dominating the Section Paloise (24-15) this Saturday. It remains to be confirmed in La Rochelle.
Special envoy to Auxerre
A big sigh of relief. In the race for places for the final phase, Racing 92, only sixth before this 25e day, was under pressure before facing Pau, seventh at just one point. This Saturday’s victory (24-15) at Auxerre therefore allows the Ile-de-France residents to look forward to the end of the season with more serenity. “I reminded the players that there was a lot of pressure to qualify, said Stuart Lancaster, Racing manager after the match. We had two excellent weeks of training, and that was reflected in our start to the match. Even though we lacked consistency throughout the match, we lost the flow of the match. But we are very happy and satisfied with the state of mind shown by the team. This will help us next week against La Rochelle.”
Center and captain Henry Chavancy also savors this moment. But we are already planning ahead. “We were in a difficult dynamic. But we continued to work together, we are all united behind this staff who work extremely hard, we have 100% confidence in them, he emphasizes. It’s nice to make them smile. It’s a good time to step up. I hope this is just the beginning…” Pillar Hassane Kolingar argues that “It was a final phase match. We couldn’t afford to lose, we considered it a final.” And Lancaster added: “The important thing is to reach peak form at the end of the season, I know that from experience. And that’s what’s happening.”
“We are not completely satisfied”
Upset during their last outings, the Ciel et Blanc were able to wake up and prove intractable in the battle of the ground game. “We had focused on that, we knew that we had failed in this sector. This is one of the big factors in the success of our first half. But we have to continue over the long haul,” insists Henry Chavancy. Strong man of the Ile-de-France pack, Hassane Kolingar underlines that “rucks are a matter of state of mind. We had to put the church back in the center of the village.” A demonstration of force which completely suffocated the Béarnais.
We knew coming to Auxerre that we needed to win to qualify. We will also need to take points in La Rochelle, we are still in the race, that’s what we have to remember…
Henry Chavancy
Obviously not everything was perfect, far from it, at Abbé-Deschamps. “When you coach a team, there are hundreds of things you can focus on, says Stuart Lancaster. We were good on the rucks in the first half, but then we lacked precision and discipline in our conquest. We had a test refused, which revived the Palois. But we managed to be precise and efficient when we came into the opposing 22m.” Henry Chavancy points out the same failings: “We had two faces in this meeting. But I remember the defensive state of mind from the first half. It was already a final phase match and the hardest part will come. But today (Saturday), the job was done…”
There is still one last step left: a trip to La Rochelle to consolidate this place in the top 6. “We are not completely satisfied, we will have to confirm against La Rochelle, asserts Hassane Kolingar. We still have plenty of points to work on, we were approximate in the second half.” Chavancy, however, wants to keep the positive: “We knew coming to Auxerre that we needed to win to qualify. We will also need to take points in La Rochelle, we are still in the race, that’s what we have to remember…” Before the last day, there is one less big thorn in Racing’s side.
