Lyon v Racing 92 - teams and prediction

SUNDAY PREVIEW: Lyon and Racing 92 will face off in Sunday’s all-French Challenge Cup semifinal, in what promises to be an unforgettable clash between two of the country’s top clubs.​

The hosts, winners in 2022, secured their spot in the semi-finals with a hard-fought victory over Ospreys in the quarterfinals, having only lost once this season, and with the top points scorer remaining in the competition, Léo Berdeu, in their ranks.

Racing 92, with their rich European pedigree, qualified for the Challenge Cup after finishing fifth in their Champions Cup Pool.

Their down-to-the-wire win over Connacht in the quarterfinals showed the side’s resilience under pressure, and they will look to continue their strong form as they chase their first title.

While they have never played in a Challenge Cup Final, they have made the Champions Cup Final on three occasions but have yet to lift any silverware.

The two last met in the Top 14 in December, finishing in a thrilling 25-25 draw. This weekend’s crucial semifinal promises to be one of the matches of the season.

In the Top 14, Lyon is eighth and Racing 92 is 10th. Lyon had a three-match winning streak snapped by a 39-31 away loss to Clermont last weekend, while Racing 92 romped to a 49-24 win over Stade Français to bounce back from a 28-24 loss to Perpignan the previous week.

While these two teams played to a draw in December, Lyon has won the last three meetings at home and should keep that streak going to progress to the final.

Former England captain Owen Farrell will lead Racing 92 while also donning the 12 jersey for the first time this season.

All of Farrell’s 16 appearances for the Parisians have come at fly-half, including his three appearances off the bench, but he will now slot alongside fellow Englishman Dan Lancaster in a new playmaking axis.

Davit Niniashvili starts at full-back for Top 14 outfit Lyon, with Vincent Rattez and Ethan Dumortier named on the wings. Josiah Maraku is named at 13, joining Theo Millet in midfield. Léo Berdeu and skipper Baptiste Couilloud start in the halves.

Up front, Arno Botha is named at eight, with Liam Allen and Dylan Cretin on the flanks. Mickael Guillard and Theo William partner in the locks, with Jermaine Ainsley, Guillaume Marchand, and Hamza Kaabeche in the front row.

For Racing, Tristan Tedder starts at fullback, with Max Spring and Donovan Taofifenua named on the wings. French legend Gael Fickou joins skipper Farrell in the centres, with Lancaster slotting in alongside Nolann le Garrec in the halves.

Cameron Woki gets the nod at number eight, with English Under-20s star Junior Kpoku and Maxime Baudonne joining him on the flanks. Wales international Will Rowlands starts alongside Boris Palu in the locks, with Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Diego Escobar, and Eddy Ben Arous in the front row.

Extra-time protocol

In the event of a drawn match at the end of normal time during the knockout stage, extra time will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows:

(a) The team that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra-time) shall be deemed the winner; or,
(b) If equal on tries, by a place-kick competition.

Prediction:

@rugby365: Lyon by 11 points

Teams

Lyon: 15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Vincent Rattez, 13 Josiah Maraku, 12 Theo Millet, 11 Ethan Dumortier, 10 Léo Berdeu, 9 Baptiste Couilloud (captain), 8 Arno Botha, 7 Liam Allen, 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Mickael Guillard, 4 Theo William, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Guillaume Marchand, 1 Hamza Kaabeche
Replacements: 16 Yanis Charcosset, 17 Jérôme Rey, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Killian Geraci, 20 Beka Saginadze, 21 Maxime Gouzou, 22 Charlie Cassang, 23 Martin Meliande

Racing 92: 15 Tristan Tedder, 14 Max Spring, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Donovan Taofifenua, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 Nolann le Garrec, 8 Cameron Woki, 7 Junior Kpoku, 6 Maxime Baudonne, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Boris Palu, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Diego Escobar, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Janick Tarrit, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Thomas Laclayat, 19 Jordan Joseph, 20 Kleo Labarbe, 21 Antoine Gibert, 22 Josua Tuisova, 23 Romain Taofifenua

Venue: Stade de Gerland, Lyon
Kick-off: 13.30 (12.30 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (Eng)
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce (Eng) and Sam Grove-White (Sco)
TMO: Ian Tempest (Eng)