Top 14: Racing 92 asserts itself in Montpellier and takes the lead

2023-10-29 19:32:58

Despite a two-month break due to the World Cup, Racing 92 easily found its feet. Better even. By winning without a mistake in Montpellier (16-19), the Hauts-de-Seine club signed a third victory in four days and moved to the top of the ranking alongside Pau.

There was a little air of Mondial in Montpellier. Light. Very light. On the lawn of the GGL Stadium, MHR center Arthur Vincent, lined up as a starter, was the only one to have experienced the French adventure, which ended on October 15 in the quarter-final of the World Cup against South Africa (28 -29), who won the Webb-Ellis trophy on Saturday at the Stade de France ahead of New Zealand (12-11). His teammate, second row Paul Willemse, had to withdraw just a few days before the competition. On the Ile-de-France side, Gaël Fickou and Cameron Woki were left to rest. Which did not prevent Stuart Lancaster’s players from quickly taking control and giving a lesson in realism and fluidity to the Hérault residents alongside their crampons.

The Ciel et Blanc hit the mark in the first period. Full-back Max Spring first finished in a winger position at the end of the line after two sublime volley passes (25th), before third row Baptiste Chouzenoux found himself unmarked on a chistera from his winger Donovan Taofifenua (29th, 3-12). The latter particularly stood out. He allowed himself a nice acrobatics, saving a penalty (44th) before completing a breakthrough on the right wing of Fijian left winger Wame Naituvi (54th, 9-19). The reduction in the score on a try from pillar Vano Karkadze after the siren allowed the Hérault residents to score a defensive bonus point and remove the offensive bonus point from Racing but it changed nothing in substance.

Racing 92, superior in all areas, played cleanly, calmly, contrasting with the sluggish and clumsy Montpellier side who have only one success in four matches. And as if it were necessary to add a dark touch to the gray surroundings, Arthur Vincent felt pain in one thigh and was forced to be strapped before leaving the pitch. The trip to Bordeaux, Saturday November 4, promises to be tricky for the Héraultais. The Ile-de-France residents can calmly approach the arrival of Lyon on the same day at Paris La Défense Arena.