“We had five minutes of absence”, deplores Travers (Racing 92)

Laurent Travers (Racing 92 manager, beaten 36-16 at Bordeaux-Bègles): “Big disappointment and big disappointment. We had a good first half, well in place, with a lot of intensity, we were able to move the ball, to put them in difficulty. We made a satisfactory start to the 2nd where we lead 13-8. And there, we have five minutes of absence. Is it related to fatigue, to the fact that it was there at 13-8, we had the game in hand? And behind a big defensive error. It does not forgive. These matches go very quickly, there was a lot of intensity, density. We had done what was necessary to create doubt in the opposing team but despite that, they were the ones who managed to put us on the back foot and score tries with too much ease. At times, we were too fast, too easy in the game, we wanted to get out of strategy a bit, which meant that we put ourselves in the red and we exposed ourselves to counterattacks. We were also put in difficulty on two scrums and we took two first-hand tries. It then becomes euphoric for the opposing team and difficult for the defending team. Racing made a European Cup semi-final, Top 14 quarter-final but Racing cannot be content with that. On the content, it is not satisfactory. We always want more.»