Racing spring surprise on defending champions
WRAP: Winger Max Spring scored three tries in 12 minutes as Racing 92 stunned European champions Bordeaux-Begles 44-32 in the French Top 14 on Sunday.
One-capped France international Spring, 24, inspired his young side to their first win of the new season, having been hammered at Lyon last weekend.
“People said we were under pressure before the game,” Racing 92 coach Patrice Collazo told reporters.
“Max is one of the team’s leaders; he’s intense in all he does.
“If all my players were like him, I’d have a problem,” Collazo jokingly added.
Bordeaux-Begles, Champions Cup winners and Top 14 runners-up last season, were startled after Spring’s early interventions in Paris and failed to build on last Saturday’s victory over La Rochelle.
“Our start showed a lack of desire from some, which is unacceptable,” Bordeaux-Begles coach Yannick Bru told reporters.
“We lacked commitment for the first third of the first half,” he added.
Bru’s outfit handed starts to their France wing pair of Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud, who scored 60 tries between them for club and country last season.
Racing 92’s lack of depth was highlighted by naming 19-year-old tight-head prop Edouard Jabe on the bench for his senior debut, with Australian close-season signing Taniela Tupou only expected to arrive in the French capital in December.
The hosts led 31-3 after barely half an hour, with Spring scorching over the tryline three times for his hat-trick after 20-year-old scrum-half Leo Carbonneau had crossed early on.
By the break, they were 36-8 ahead as Ugo Seunes, Owen Farrell’s replacement at flyhalf following the former England captain’s premature departure in the summer, kicked two penalties and Bielle-Biarrey sneaked over for the visitors.
Racing’s unexpected win was secured after the interval as former England No.8 Nathan Hughes scored before Bordeaux-Begles claimed four consolation tries in the final 25 minutes to deny the hosts a bonus point.
Champions Toulouse, who edged Bordeaux-Begles in last season’s decider, are second in the table having beaten Perpignan 31-13 on Saturday.
Lyon are top after another superb solo try from Fiji winger Jiuta Wainiqolo helped them to a 25-18 win over promoted Montauban.
Clermont’s Australia lock Rob Simmons made some unwanted history as he became the first Top 14 player to receive an orange card in the 34-16 loss at La Rochelle.
Under the new rule, the player is sent off but can be replaced by another player after 20 minutes.
Image credit: @GettyImages
