Ronan O'Gara will sleep well after 'miracle' La Rochelle victory over Racing 92

Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 have slipped to 11th in the Top 14 after their third defeat in four games.

Sun, 29 Sep, 2024 - 03:13

James Harrington

Ronan O’Gara said he would, ‘take the four points for the win’ after scrum-half Teddy Iribaren kicked the late penalty that gave La Rochelle a hard-fought 16-17 win over Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 in Créteil.

“I'm going to get a good night's sleep thanks to the win,” O’Gara said, “but tomorrow we'll get back to work, because we’re currently six levels below Toulouse.”

Three Antoine Hastoy penalties were all La Rochelle had to show for their efforts until the final five minutes of a match dominated by determined defence, while future Rochelais Nolan Le Garrec scored all Racing’s 16 points before injury forced him off.

Reda Wardi crashed over at the end of a long set with five minutes left on the clock to give La Rochelle a late shot at victory. Iribaren fired the conversion wide, but had a second shot at goal after Ihaia West missed a 79th-minute drop goal attempt under penalty advantage. The ex-Racing nine made no mistake off the tee on the siren.

“It’s very difficult to win away from home in Top 14, and it’s a miracle we won in Créteil, if you look at the content,” O’Gara said.

“Last year, we would have lost that game.”

The result moved La Rochelle up to provisional third, while misfiring Racing slipped to 11th after a third loss in four.

Vannes came back from 14-0 down to lead Toulon 14-19 at Stade Mayol with 30 minutes to play. But hopes of a first-ever away win in the Top 14, a week after they broke their victory duck at home faded rapidly when Baptiste Serin replaced Scotland scrum-half Ben White after 55 minutes. Serin scored seven minutes later to start a procession. Toulon ran in four more in the closing 12 minutes to win 54-19 and top the table – for 29 hours at least.

Perpignan’s Posolo Tuilagi joined La Rochelle’s Pierre Bourgarit on France coach Fabien Galthie’s unavailable list after suffering a broken leg 17 minutes into his club side’s 33-3 victory over Clermont on their first outing this season on the newly laid hybrid pitch at Stade Aime Giral.

The second row is expected to be sidelined for up to five months after surgery on a broken tibia and fibula. He will miss France’s Autumn Nations Series matches against Japan, New Zealand and Argentina, and is almost certainly out of the 2025 Six Nations.

Jeremy Davidson’s Castres have more bonus points than any other Top 14 side after four rounds. They picked up their third in as many matches – and second on the road – after pushing hosts Lyon all the way at Stade Gerland. An ill-disciplined eight-try encounter ended 40-38.

Joris Segonds converted Sireli Maqala’s 78th minute try – his second of the match – to give a relieved Bayonne a 28-27 victory over Montpellier at Stade Jean Dauger. The home side had been 15-0 up at half-time, but slipped to 21-27 behind as the visitors came within minutes of a second away win this season.

Pau joined the weekend’s come-from-behind crowd as they recovered from 13-3 down at half-time to pick up a try-scoring bonus as they beat Stade Francais 30-16.

Noel McNamara’s enviable Bordeaux backs division will be tested on Sunday, when they head to Toulouse for a repeat of June’s Top 14 final. Bordeaux have made seven changes to the side that hammered Racing 92 last week, with fullback Romain Buros, winger Damian Penaud, and centre Nicolas Depoortere among those giving up their places in the matchday 23.

But their international halfback Maxime Lucu-Matthieu Jalibert pairing start – as does Arthur Retiere, against his former club – while Louis Bielle-Biarrey slots in at fullback.

Ugo Mola, meanwhile, is without the injured Jack Willis, but has still selected an impressive squad, with Paul Graou at nine, Romain Ntamack at 10 and Thomas Ramos at 15, while Josh Brennan is on the bench, as they look for a fourth consecutive victory.

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