Racing 92 defeats Stade Francais to book final eight spot

Racing 92 won the last spot in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, defeating 14-man Stade Francais.

Racing won 33-22 in the second leg of a tense two-match derby, winning 55-31 on aggregate.

This season, they have defeated their neighbours four times.

“What is important for us is the qualification. We won all four matches, but we wanted to advance,” said Racing coach Laurent Travers.

Racing flanker Wenceslas Lauret added: “We knew they were going to have a grudge, we knew they were going to come here to play, to attack us.”

Stade had a 15-3 lead after 22 minutes after trailing by 13 points after losing at home.

Fullback Telusa Veainu sprinted 80 meters for the first try after catching a mishit punt by Racing fly-half Finn Russell.

After Stade won the battle under a high kick, winger Adrien Lapegue scored the second goal.

Stade finished the first leg with 14 men, and after 35 minutes on Sunday, they received another red card.

Sefa Naivalu, who had already been sent out for a tip tackle, was given a second yellow and an automatic red for failing to use his arms in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Racing fullback Louis Dupichot from scoring in the corner.

A penalty attempt was also awarded for the offence.

Stade fought back, as Lapegue beat France’s Teddy Thomas to the finish line. At halftime, the visitors had a nine-point lead in the match and only a four-point deficit in the tie.

“The coach’s message at half-time was simple: just wake up,” said Lauret.

At the start of the second half, Thomas avenged himself by sending two defenders the wrong way and then racing through the gap to score.

After Stade’s try was overturned after video review, a riot erupted involving nearly every player on the field.

Racing scored two tries in the final seven minutes, both from Lauret and Thomas, who cut inside and caught the defence off guard.

“There is a lot of frustration. We are 4-0 against Racing 92 this season,” said Lapegue. “It’s annoying. But it was not only the red card.”

Racing will face Sale in the quarter-finals, who defeated English rivals Bristol on Friday.

Four of the last eight teams are French, two are Irish, and two are English, but two of France’s heavyweights were eliminated by a single point on Saturday.

Montpellier defeated 33-20 away to Harlequins in the second leg, but won 60-59 on aggregate after England fly-half Marcus Smith missed a conversion late in the game.

France captain Antoine Dupont scored a last-gasp try in Belfast, which was converted by international teammate Thomas Ramos, to give Toulouse a one-point aggregate victory over Ulster.

Toulouse took the second leg 30-23 and the tie on aggregate 50-49.

They’ll play Munster, who come back from a 13-8 first-leg deficit to beat Exeter 26-10 in Limerick.

Montpellier will face La Rochelle, the losing finalists from the previous season.

La Rochelle defeated Bordeaux-Begles 31-23 for a 62-36 aggregate score. Kiwi playmaker Ihaia West scored 16 points.

Leicester, the English Premiership leaders, sealed their place in the quarterfinals with a 27-17 win over Clermont at home, giving them a 56-27 aggregate score.

In the last eight, Leicester will face four-time champions Leinster, who thrashed neighbours Connacht 56-20 and 82-41 overall.