Clermont-Ferrand (AFP)

Racing 92, after having cut its teeth on Lyon then Montpellier in Top 14, made short work of Clermont (36-27), Saturday in the quarterfinals of the European Cup, and will find in half the Saracens, biting holders of the title.

The English, promised a relegation to the second division for having bypassed the salary cap, only have the European Cup to play and they demonstrated it by driving on the Leinster (25-17), yet fresh winner Pro 14 with sixteen victories in as many matches.

In the last four, Racing 92 will therefore face an opponent that it dominated in the group stage, finishing first in Group 4, ahead of the Sarries: in the first leg, the Ciel et Blanc won easily (30-10 ) while, on the way back, already qualified, they had narrowly fallen (27-24).

More than eight months later, the good news for the French club is that they will host the Saracens at the Arena in a week.

Without Kurtley Beale, the flagship rookie of the summer, still suspended after a high tackle on the young Montpellier international center Arthur Vincent last week.

Without Louis Dupichot either, probably, the Ile-de-France winger having gone out on a stretcher after 20 minutes of play, after having scored the first try of the meeting.

His replacement, François Trinh-Duc, celebrated his second European match of the year 2020 with a try, 244 days after the one registered against ... the Saracens in January.

The Clermontois, them, were too undisciplined, too absent, to worry a Racing 92 which remains on two demonstrations in Top 14. Archi-dominated in scrum, the Jaunards conceded eleven penalties at the break, including three for the only Etienne Falgoux .

The pillar also received a yellow card (27th) for a thrust across.

And the goalscorer of Racing 92 Teddy Iribaren (five out of six, twenty points) was responsible for sanctioning Clermont.

The tries of Wesley Fofana (59th, 30-15), Kotaro Matsushima (69th, 33-22), then Damian Penaud (72, 36-27) were only illusory.

The Auvergnante reaction, too late, did not change much.

Laurent Travers, who had aligned nine players from the training center on the scoresheet, knows he still has work to do before the reunion with the Sarries.

Finalist in 2016 and 2018, Racing has displayed its ambition, Camille Chat, Finn Russell or Teddy Iribaren ensuring they want to finally win the European Cup.

After having passed a first test in Clermont in the quarter, the Racingmen will have the opportunity to prove it against the English ogre.

© 2020 AFP