Racing 92 confirms rise in power by winning
Racing 92 has confirmed its rise in power by winning (27-13) in Montpellier in a shock skewed by the weight of absences Sunday at GGL Stadium, closing the 9th day of the Top 14.
The team of Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers buck the first third of the season. In the wake of his successful entry into the European Cup, marked by two successes, and his victory against Pau, the Racing 92 (5th) is installed in the wake of the teams in form: Clermont, Toulouse and Paris, with only a point behind his Parisian neighbor.
Already winners in Toulon and Paris, the Parisians are ace of the trip. They sweep the memory of the last three slaps taken in the Herault and get their third success outside in four trips.
Montpellier (9th) falls for the second time at home after his initial failure in Castres, another big arm. With three points behind Castres, outgoing French champion, ranked in 7th place, he pays the damage of his false start and the consequences of his multiple glitches.
Racing has better managed the many absences that lead the two teams. Meanwhile, the skies and white, around their Scottish opener Finn Russell, perfectly negotiated the debut of each half to stay in the lead from one end of the game to the other.
The finalist of the European Cup has achieved a perfect introduction by entering two tries thanks to his Argentine winger Juan Imhoff (7), then on a collective test after a penaltouche (11).
Shortly after the restart, Imhoff, the decisive, intercepted a pass from South African center Jan Serfontein for Gabriel Ngandebe and planted a 80-meter counter (52) giving his team a breath of fresh air.
In the meantime, Montpellier had surmounted both the ascendancy of the Paris region and its approximations. He took advantage of the yellow card inflicted on center Henry Chavancy to return on the heels of Racing. By scoring blow by blow winger Yvan Reilhac (29) and the second line South African Nicolaas Van Rensburg (33).
Despite the return of Jacques Du Plessis, after ten months of unavailability, the Herault was too strong to compete with Racing and offer a final victory to scrum half Julien Tomas, who played the last game of his career.
