JONNY SEXTON’S RACING Métro will face Toulouse in the Top 14 play-offs next weekend, despite suffering a comprehensive 44-10 defeat to Montpellier this afternoon.
Racing will have to travel to Toulouse for their barrages match [essentially a quarter-final tie], with Toulon awaiting the victors in the semi-finals. Sexton scored a try, conversion and penalty for Racing in today’s defeat, and will hope that his teammates can lift their performance levels ahead of the visit to Guy Novès side.
Advertisement
A thrilling final round of the regular season games saw Grenoble avoid relegation at the other end of the table. The Bernard Jackman and Mike Prendergast-coached club were beaten 31-8 by Toulouse, but defeats elsewhere secured their Top 14 status for a third season.
Instead, Perpignan – who won the Top 14 as recently as 2009 – joined Biarritz in losing their top-flight standing. Marc Delpoux’s side ran Clermont close away from home, but came up short in a 25-22 loss.
Biarritz, formerly a powerful force in European rugby, had confirmed their own relegation before the final round of fixtures, having endured a miserable campaign in which they won just five times.
Toulon’s 17-15 win against Stade Français ensured that they finished top of the table, while Montpellier’s success means they join Bernard Laporte’s side in advancing directly to the semi-final stage.
In the other barrages game, Clermont will host Castres, who squeezed into sixth position after going down 23-13 to Bayonne today.
Stade Français have finished the season in seventh, missing out on the Top 14′s knock-out stages but securing themselves a play-off against the seventh-placed Premiership side to qualify for the inaugural Rugby Champions Cup.
Sexton's Racing secure play-off against Toulouse on thrilling day of Top 14 action
JONNY SEXTON’S RACING Métro will face Toulouse in the Top 14 play-offs next weekend, despite suffering a comprehensive 44-10 defeat to Montpellier this afternoon.
Racing will have to travel to Toulouse for their barrages match [essentially a quarter-final tie], with Toulon awaiting the victors in the semi-finals. Sexton scored a try, conversion and penalty for Racing in today’s defeat, and will hope that his teammates can lift their performance levels ahead of the visit to Guy Novès side.
A thrilling final round of the regular season games saw Grenoble avoid relegation at the other end of the table. The Bernard Jackman and Mike Prendergast-coached club were beaten 31-8 by Toulouse, but defeats elsewhere secured their Top 14 status for a third season.
Instead, Perpignan – who won the Top 14 as recently as 2009 – joined Biarritz in losing their top-flight standing. Marc Delpoux’s side ran Clermont close away from home, but came up short in a 25-22 loss.
Biarritz, formerly a powerful force in European rugby, had confirmed their own relegation before the final round of fixtures, having endured a miserable campaign in which they won just five times.
Toulon’s 17-15 win against Stade Français ensured that they finished top of the table, while Montpellier’s success means they join Bernard Laporte’s side in advancing directly to the semi-final stage.
In the other barrages game, Clermont will host Castres, who squeezed into sixth position after going down 23-13 to Bayonne today.
Stade Français have finished the season in seventh, missing out on the Top 14′s knock-out stages but securing themselves a play-off against the seventh-placed Premiership side to qualify for the inaugural Rugby Champions Cup.
30-times capped Ireland centre Paddy Wallace close to retirement call
In pictures: Ulster captain Johann Muller says goodbye to Ravenhill
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Allez Jonny! bernard jackman Top 14 Grenoble Jonny Sexton Mike Prendergast Racing Metro Ronan O'Gara