TOPS/FLOPS – A faulty footwork, the beautiful copy of Tom Roebuck, a boss-sized third line at Sale and a crazy clumsiness for Racing… The tops and flops of Racing’s defeat at Sale (29-7)
TOPS
The box full of Tom Roebuck
If many players in the meeting stood out for their clumsiness, he managed almost everything. At 23, Tom Roebuck, who had 4 tries in 6 Premiership matches this season, left his calling card at Racing 92 and the Champions Cup during Sale’s great victory (29-7). He initially looked clean under high balls. Little worried in defense, he had all the freedom to make the Ciel et Blanc defense live hell. He took advantage of it with 98 meters covered, 7 defenders beaten with 2 crossings but above all a try and a truly decisive pass on Carpenter’s try after having intercepted a crossbar at the foot of Gibert and perfectly fixed the latter.
George Ford and Dan Du Preez as metronomes
One scored 14 points this evening, the other recited his score without a false note. Between them, George Ford and Dan Du Preez can explain the difference between the two evening opponents. Faced with Gibert, Tedder, Lancaster, each more lost than the other to lead the Ile-de-France game, the English opener and the South African center alternated perfectly between hand play and foot play to dictate the rhythm. of the meeting. If Du Preez scored a try, George Ford several times brought uncertainty into the Racing defense and created numerous spaces for his partners. All while being very solid in defense (21/22 in tackles for the duo).
Ben Curry and Jean-Luc Du Preez, examples of good aggression
Both authors of a try, the two wing third lines set an example for their teammate throughout the match (both played 80 minutes). 16/17 in tackles for Curry, 22/25 for Du Preez, suffice to say that the two tireless players were hungry this Friday evening. To look further than the stats, it is above all a remarkable attitude in the rucks and in the supports which allowed Ben Curry to be named man of the match. Jean-Luc Du Preez was just as legitimate.
FLOPS
The failure of the Racing 92’s feet
The probable order of the kicking game was respected. But the execution leaves something to be desired. This Friday evening, in the 23 Racingmen, there could have been four of them to take the game on their own (Lancaster, Tedder, Gibert, Le Garrec). But once again, as too often this season, none of them took command of the Ile-de-France ship which ended up completely sinking under English assaults. Although on his legs at the start of the match, Le Garrec faded away as the match progressed. At the same time, Lancaster and Tedder increased the number of poorly executed kicking plays. Several times too long or countered, it was that of Antoine Gibert, intercepted by Roebuck, who came to put a point of honor on this disaster. Racing had relied on the kicking game to counter the English… With such a performance from its chief gunners, it’s difficult to hope for anything.
A terrible clumsiness
Despite the score and throughout the match, Stuart Lancaster’s players wanted to play hard. But it was hard. Despite an uninspiring game plan and a three-quarter line that was often too flat when attacking, Le Garrec and others sometimes found spaces (4 crossings, 32 defenders beaten). But an incredible clumsiness put an end to numerous offensive actions by the Ile-de-France residents. Not to mention the few untimely slips, the ball seemed to want to escape from the hands of the Ciel et Blanc. A day without… nothing.
