Bristol (United Kingdom) (AFP)

Still missed ... Racing 92, after their defeats in 2016 and 2018, lost their third European Rugby Cup final, this time against the English of Exeter (31-27), Saturday in Bristol.

For the French, back one point behind their opponents in the 64th minute and who played 15 against 14 the last ten minutes, the outcome is almost as cruel as the loss on a penalty at the last minute against Leinster in 2018 (15-12).

Exeter, for his part, becomes the twelfth different winner of the European Cup in 25 editions and can dream of a double, as the Chiefs will play the final of the championship of England next week against Wasps or Bristol, who has beaten Friday Toulon in the final of the European Challenge (32-19).

Exeter had never made it past the quarter-finals before this year but the English are regulars in choppy matches - they have reached the England league final the past four seasons, lifting the trophy in 2017.

The final of the 2020 edition, which began almost ten months ago, was intense, crazy at times but, above all, undecided until the end.

Yet it has been believed on several occasions that Exeter had killed the match, with the faulty complicity of his opponent who, by holding out the stick to get beaten, almost made us forget his match, however filled with satisfaction.

On the defensive level, Racing had done almost everything well like this sequence of eighteen phases just before the hour mark when the Ciel et Blanc repelled assault after assault by the Chiefs to end up recovering the ball on a penalty.

- First European final for Exeter -

He attacked them in melee, disturbed in touch, they were very effective in attack, scoring their first 24 points on their first 4 forays into the 22 opponents when the Chiefs needed 9 to score 28.

Quickly led 14-0, after 16 minutes, on two tests "offered" by clumsiness or incomprehensible choices of Teddy Iribaren - released at the break - and Finn Russell, Racing 92 had quickly glued to two points with two class tests (14-12) by Simon Zebo and Juan Imhoff.

But just before the break, unable to control a capricious rebounding ball to finally concede a touch five meters from the line, they gave in again (21-12 at the break).

The entry of Maxime Machenaud, at the beginning of the second act, restored calm and control to Ile-de-France residents.

Without another blunder from Russell, a pass of more than 20 meters to the wing in its 22 meters intercepted and which resulted in the Chiefs' fourth try and gave them back eleven lengths in advance (28-17, 45th), one could even have called it perfect.

Mentally, the Ciel et Blancs finally picked up thanks to a try from Camille Chat five minutes later (28-24, 50th) and a penalty from Machenaud put the trophy within reach.

But they undoubtedly lacked a little physicality and lucidity - after a preparation troubled by these cases of Covid - to exploit the excess number of the last minutes and it is with their heads down that they left the field, rehashing the gifts offered.

A new time.

© 2020 AFP