For the first time in its history, France has five representatives in the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Cup this weekend, with two tricolor confrontations: Bordeaux-Bègles-Racing 92 and Clermont-Toulouse.
La Rochelle will face the English club Sale.
This is a performance that had so far only been achieved by England: to qualify five clubs for the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Cup.
Three matches will involve French teams this weekend, suggesting a crazy hope: bring the cup home, which has not happened since Toulon released its triple crown, five years ago.
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"We have an English referee, so it's okay"
On the one hand, there will be two Franco-French matches.
The Bordeaux-Bègles Union, a novice at this level of the competition, will host Racing 92. "It is true that playing a quarter-final of the European Cup against a French team takes away the scent of the European Cup, for me ", comments at the microphone of Europe 1 Christophe Urios, the general manager of the UBB.
"Well, we have an English referee, so it's okay", he smiles, without losing sight of his objective: "what drives me, it is not to write the history of the club, it is to beat Racing. "
The other 100% French quarter-final will pit Clermont against the Toulouse ogre, two teams used to European games.
"We also have a final phase experience which has been a bit of excitement since the start of the week, pep and sparkles in the eyes," enthuses Franck Azéma, the Clermont coach.
With these two fratricidal quarter-finals, there will in any case be at least two French clubs in the semi-finals.
And maybe three, if La Rochelle, the third qualified club, has the good idea to beat the English de Sale on Saturday.
The program of matches of French clubs
La Rochelle - Sale: Saturday at 4 p.m.
Bordeaux-Bègles - Racing 92: Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Clermont - Toulouse: Sunday at 4 p.m.