Still in the lead at the end of January, Racing 92 are going through a delicate period and must at all costs recover at home against the RCT to halt their fall.
The Top 14 is a long-distance race where the slightest deviation can take you from the summits to oblivion in a few weeks. At the start of the year again, this poster would have constituted a shock between the first and his runner-up. A duel between teams dominating their subject as much as their opponents. Today, the poster has lost none of its luster but the issue is no longer knowing who reigns over the Championship, just not losing out in the fierce race to the final stages.
The trajectory of Racing 92 is certainly the most surprising. Starting off on excellent bases, the Ile-de-France residents gave the impression in the fall of reciting their rugby under the orders of Stuart Lancaster. A well-oiled machine methodically crushing every obstacle that came in its way, like on November 18 when it won on the lawn of Stade Français, then leader (13-9). Then everything went wrong. For a month and a half, nothing is going well and no one is responding within the Ciel et Blanc squad which has particularly suffered from the mobilization of some of its strong men like its playing master Le Garrec or its second line Woki , selected for the French team to compete in the VI Nations Tournament.
If the first will still be missing this evening, this is not the case for the second released by the French staff and therefore available again to come and help his teammates. On the bench, he will have to bring his experience and accuracy to a tough group. Because depending on the absences at the hinge or in the pack, Racing 92 got stuck in a negative spiral and has just suffered 5 losses in a row, sending it back to 8th place in the Championship. The English manager knows the weight of the absentees, the South African star Kolisi also being unavailable, and will have to find a speech to right a drifting bar. “We no longer have the right to make mistakes,” agrees experienced hooker Camille Chat.
For its part, Toulon is no longer boasting and must deal with the same crisis of results, with the only difference that it has perhaps started a rebound. Indeed, after three consecutive defeats, the Var rediscovered the taste of victory last week. At home, they unleashed themselves in the second half, scoring four of their five tries to dispose of Perpignan (44-22). A performance likely to restore lost confidence in a hot context, where Mignoni lost his nerve in front of the press, ulcerated by the “leaks” from his locker room.
A slippage which reveals the tension in the Harbor and which only a positive sequence could dissipate. It remains to find the key on the move. Since the start of the season, the RCT has only had one victory away from Mayol, last November 18 in Clermont (30-27). Gabin Villière’s return to competition is likely to be reassuring. Injured in the knee at the end of January in the European Cup, the international winger is an asset on both sides of the field with his ferocity in contact and his aggressiveness in the intervals. Good news when approaching a pivotal meeting where the winner will be able to place himself back in the leading pack when the loser will have to look behind more to avoid a more brutal fall.
The closing match of the 18th day between Racing 92 and RC Toulon will take place from 9:05 p.m., at the Défense Arena in Nanterre.
The closing match of the 18th day between Racing 92 and RC Toulon will be broadcast live and exclusively on Canal.
The closing meeting of the 18th day between Racing 92 of Stuart Lancaster and RC Toulon of Pierre Mignoni will be available in streaming on the MyCanal platform.
BetClic : Racing 92 : 1,40 / Nul : 20 / RC Toulon : 2,75
Parions Sport: Racing 92: 1.37 / Draw: 24 / RC Toulon: 2.65
Winamax: Racing 92: 1.42 / Draw: 19 / RC Toulon: 2.70
Racing 92: 1. Kolingar, 2. Chat, 3. Gomes Sa – 4. Palu, 5. Sanconnie – 6. Diallo, 7. Baudonne, 8. Kamikamica – 9. Le Bail, 10. Tedder – 11. Naituvi, 12. .Chavancy ©, 13. Klemenczak, 14. Wade – 15. Spring.
RC Toulon: 1. Devaux, 2. Baubigny ©, 3. Gigashvili – 4. Halagahu, 5. Ribbans – 6. Tolofua, 7. Coulon, 8. Isa – 9. Danglot, 10. Hervé – 11. Villière, 12. Smaili, 13. Tuicuvu, 14. Dréan – 15. Jaminet.
