HOME QUARTER-FINALISTS have about a 75% win ratio so there was always likely to be one upset in the Champions Cup this weekend and it came in Paris today.
Leinster, Clermont and Toulon all booked places in the final four but Racing Metro were beaten by Saracens after a monstrous penalty from Argentine centre Marcelo Bosch on the last play of the game.
Just like when Ireland played the All Blacks in 2013, Nigel Owens penalised Racing for going off their feet as they looked to close out the game.
Then Bosch swaggered up to the tee and walloped the ball about 45m to win the game for the visitors.
Racing will be furious at the self-inflicted manner of the defeat and remarkably, it was Johnny Sexton’s first ever European Cup loss in the knockout round, having won the previous nine games.
It really was a win that all rugby fans can rejoice in though, as many supporters have adopted Saracens as their second team. Their ‘Wolfpack’ nickname is particularly catchy too and not at all annoying and they should also be commended for reintroducing the fez to mainstream society.
Their reward for beating Racing is a meeting with Clermont in the semi-final and the French side will hope to turn things around considerably from last year’s meeting at the same stage, which the English side won by 40 points.
