Nanterre (AFP)

Thanks WHO? Thanks Teddy! Racing 92, worn by Iribaren and Thomas, qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Cup after beating the Irish from Munster on Sunday (39-22).

Racing joined Clermont and Toulouse, qualified the day before for the final phase after their success, respectively, before the Irish provinces of Ulster and Connacht.

Fifteen points and, above all, a brilliant chistera for the essay by Teddy Thomas (28th). The Racing N.9 delivered a great game to deliver their teammates, who were roughed up and too clumsy. And it was the supersonic winger who gave victory and quarters to Racing at the very end of the match, with incredible inspiration for a test with one hand.

Racing, an improved victory at the end of the day, retains the lead of its group with 22 points, 8 more than the Saracens.

The road to a quarter-final at home therefore goes, for the Ciel et Blanc, by a trip to the Sarries, defending champions, next week. But it will absolutely be essential to hope to finish in the top four.

For Teddy Iribaren, it has become a habit as he has been splashing the Top 14 with his talent for over a year. For his third tenure at the expense of Maxime Machenaud, the scrum half again proved who was the boss.

As against Clermont, where he had flaunted his malice and his vista, "Iri" got his people out of luck.

It must be admitted that Laurent Travers' men were jostled by their opponents. Particularly in the first period when, deprived of balloons and caught in the engagement, the Racingmen were led 16-11 after a sublime interception by Andrew Conway (37th).

But the Irish stab did not seem to bother the Toulouse native. It was he, again he, who brought Racing back within range of the Ulster (22-20, 63rd) before going out to the applause of the Arena and letting Thomas transform into a double hero. This is the twelfth try in eleven international matches.

And what a try! The rescue came from a sublime diagonal of the Scottish Finn Russell, recovered and flattened with one hand by Teddy Thomas, a few centimeters from the line. If the video referee maintained the suspense for a while, the former Biarrot, impassive as usual, waited wisely for the validation of his test.

The job done, and done well, the two Teddy left the international center Virimi Vakatawa (78th) then the winger Juan Imhoff (80th) drive the point home. Hat!

© 2020 AFP