During the second day of the Champions Cup, Racing 92 was swept aside by Ulster in Belfast (31-15). A second defeat in the competition for the Ile-de-France residents.
TOPS
Ulster’s hand combinations hit the mark
Luck favors the bold is an adage that perfectly sums up Ulster’s profitable choices against Racing (31-15). In a position to score on several of their highlights, the Irish often opted for penalties or quick penalties played by hand instead of taking points with their feet. It was a good thing for them since they managed to score two tries on a finely crafted combination executed to perfection. On a penalty quickly played by hand by a pillar, the Ulster forwards rush around the ball carrier to form a maul, concluded twice behind the line by third-row Nick Timoney (4th, 47th). A model of the kind that could inspire many clubs in the weeks to come.
Read alsoChampions Cup: Racing 92 defeated by Ulster
Stuart McCloskey, Ulster’s Swiss Army knife strikes
What a performance from the Irish center on Saturday night. Omnipresent in his team’s offensives, Stuart McCloskey turned many heads in the Ile-de-France defense and scored a powerful try against Nolan Le Garrec (22nd). Valuable in defense in the last half hour, he performed flawlessly in his tackles and was elected man of the match.
Nolan Le Garrec, a lonely game dynamiter
The Ile-de-France scrum-half had a full match on Irish soil. Author of a try in the 17th minute after combining with Antoine Gibert, his banderilla was finally refused for an obstruction by Hassane Kolingar at the start of the action. But the Ciel et Blanc playmaker persisted and did it again in the 30th minute, supporting an acceleration from Juan Imhoff. In the second half, the Racing 92 wisp continued at the same pace, constantly trying to energize the game, with maximum risk-taking. This is evidenced by a pass intercepted in front of the Irish goal by Jacob Stockdale (60th). The only big downside of his evening was his failure in his role as scorer with a 0/3 against the poles.
FLOPS
Gaël Fickou, a struggling captain
A new lackluster performance for Gaël Fickou, who seems more blunted than ever by the difficult aftermath of the World Cup. In line with his last matches, the captain of Racing 92 appeared within and far from his standards. He committed three hand faults which annihilated the offensives of his partners and was penalized once on the ground. Stepping back several times on impact on defensive sequences, his strong point, he once again appeared in difficulty on Saturday evening.
Read alsoChampions Cup: the video summary of Racing’s defeat against Ulster
Racing 92’s defense took on water
As against Harlequins, the Ile-de-France residents conceded 31 points and four tries. Far too much to hope to win in the Champions Cup. In the first act, they were clearly dominated in front with numerous repeated faults in their 22 meters and three tries conceded by Nick Timoney (4th), Stuart McCloskey (22nd) and Matty Rea (37th), helped by a breakthrough from Michael Lowry who reviewed a large part of the Racing 92 defense. From the start of the second act, Nick Timoney scored the offensive bonus try (47th), again on a carried ball. If his players did not concede any points in the last half hour, defense coach Dimitri Szarzewski has his work cut out for him.
