Let us begin by focusing on the story of this remote duel. In the 65th minute of this multiplex evening, the Castres joined the Racingmen in the standings by taking the advantage in Bayonne. In the 69th minute, the Ile-de-France residents, who lost to La Rochelle, fell out of the top six for the first time this season. A shame for a club which, since its return to the elite in June 2009, has always participated in the final stages. But Stuart Lancaster’s players would find the resources to score a converted try synonymous with a defensive bonus (24-19), a ticket for the play-offs and maximum frustration for the Castres who had done the job by winning under torrential downpours. water in Bayonne (17-28).
Next Sunday, Racing 92 will travel to Bordeaux to face a UBB team which rose to third place by dominating Oyonnax (40-7). The other play-off will pit Toulon against La Rochelle on Saturday. Could the Varois have avoided this perilous confrontation by securing their ticket to the semi-finals at the Stade Français? Regrets will undoubtedly run through Toulon’s minds in the coming days. Pierre Mignoni did not field his best team in Paris. Did he make the right choice? Toulon failed by three points behind the Parisians (23-20), directly qualified for the Bordeaux semi-finals, like the Toulouse residents.
