RACING 92 DEFEATED Clermont 34-33 in a French Top 14 semi-final extra-time thriller tonight with All Black legend Dan Carter sealing victory with a conversion in the game’s 99th minute.
The two sides had been locked 27-27 at the end of normal time with Clermont then nudging ahead 33-27 thanks to a long-range penalty from Scott Spedding and a monster drop goal by Brock James.
But Clermont gave Racing a chance to come back when Georgian flanker Viktor Kolelishvili was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle on Racing prop Luc Ducalcon with seven minutes left.
Argentine winger Juan Imhoff then scored a breakaway try for Racing with three minutes of the 20-minute extra-time period to go and World Cup winner Carter showed nerves of steel to slot over the crucial conversion.
Fritz Lee and Wesley Fofana had scored tries for Clermont in normal time with Johan Goosen and Joe Rokocoko crossing for Racing.
Toulon face Montpellier in the second semi-final, also at Rennes, tomorrow with Racing awaiting the winners in the final to be played at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium on June 25.
Camille Lopez popped over a fourth-minute drop goal for Clermont before Carter levelled with a penalty having earlier seen his first attempt come off the upright.
Clermont scrum-half Morgan Parra then saw his first penalty also hit the post before the game sprung into life after 20 minutes. French international centre Fofana burst through three tackles to score what would have been the first try of the semi-final. But his impressive slalom was ruled out for a forward pass.
Racing, who had defeated Clermont twice in the regular season, then stretched to a 16-6 lead. Carter hit two more penalties before Johan Goosen pounced on a loose ball to score his seventh try of the season. Carter added the extras. Clermont cut the deficit to five points at the break with a try on the stroke of half-time. Spedding had just booted a huge penalty from the halfway line before he then kicked for touch in the corner.
Delayed
Clermont unleashed a mighty push from the ensuing line-out with Lee the man on the bottom of the pile.
The league leaders were 17-16 ahead early in the second-half before veteran All Black wing Rokocoko shrugged off his 32 years to sprint 25 metres to touch down for Racing. Carter hit the conversion for 24-17 before Lopez cut the lead back to 24-20.
All Black legend Carter then hit his fifth successful kick of the semi-final to restore Racing’s seven-point lead. Fofana scored his team’s second try on the hour mark which was converted by Lopez to send the match into extra-time. But Carter’s glory was merely delayed.
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