Racing gets revenge over Stade
Stade won both regular season clashes in the 2014/2015 campaign before handing out a sobering 38-15 rout in the play-offs but Racing came out on top on Friday at a two-thirds full Stade Yves-du-Manoir to go second in the Top 14 table.
Racing went into the game without French World Cup squad members Dimitri Szarzewski, Eddy Ben Arous, Alexandre Dumoulin, Bernard Le Roux, Remi Tales, Yannick Nyanga and Brice Dulin – who were all rested.
Defending champions Stade also rested two of their French internationals – Pascal Pape and Rabah Slimani. Captain Sergio Parisse, whose World Cup campaign with Italy was decimated by injury, played in the 22-9 win over Castres last week but was ruled out on Friday.
Both sides joined spectators in observing a minute's silence in memory of the 43 people killed earlier Friday in a bus crash in south-west France, the country's worst road disaster in 30 years.
Racing were 7-0 ahead inside two minutes when New Zealand centre Casey Laulala's back of the hand pass released compatriot Joe Rokocoko to sprint away down the right. The veteran All Blacks wing was held up but quickly recycled ball which allowed teenage hooker Camille Chat to power over with Maxime Machenaud adding the extras.
A penalty from Jules Plisson cut the deficit before a penalty from Johan Goosen restored Racing's seven-point lead. Stade quickly grabbed their first try when French Under-20 flank Sekou Macalou waltzed through a gaping hole in the Racing defence. Plisson added the conversion to level the score at 10-10 but a successful, close- range penalty from captain Machenaud edged Racing back in front at 13-10 at the interval.
Machenaud and Goosen struck two more penalties for a 19-10 lead. Plisson and Goosen exchanged a successful kick each for 22-13 before the home side grabbed a decisive second try after 68 minutes.
A clever kick over the top from centre Henry Chavancy fell into the hands of wing Marc Andreu for the easy score. A last-minute try from replacement scrumhalf Clement Daguin came too late to save Stade.
AFP
