Racing 92 win at Castres in Top 14, Digi Mart USA News (France): Ugo Seunes kicked a late penalty to give Racing 92 a narrow victory over Castres in the tenth round of the Top 14. The win came despite a long list of absences, with the team producing a consistent performance throughout the match.
The result said much about the resilience and character of the side. Racing 92 had to play most of the final stretch with fourteen players against fifteen after Shingi Manyarara was sent off, yet the Parisian club never panicked, even during Castres’ strongest period of pressure.
The decisive attack came from a bold passage of play: a Spring carry that eluded Vargas, a pass from Naituvi and a charge by Romain Taofifenua. Taofifenua, 36, was described as outstanding for his work in both attack and defense, while several young players contributed to the team’s energy.
Coach Patrice Collazo praised his players’ commitment and mentality. “Against CO, our commitment and our mentality made up for the lack of technical precision we had at times,” he said.
“I think of a lineout we didn’t find, a penalty we played very badly… But there was such resilience, such will and such energy in this group, as there has been for four matches.
We are happy and above all proud to coach these guys. Despite around twenty absences, with many young players, we have a good team.”
Collazo also cautioned against overreacting to the result. Racing 92 ended a sequence of three consecutive defeats and left the relegation zone, but he stressed that much work remains.
“We are not out of the tunnel yet. We see a little light in the distance, but we are not out at all,” he said.
“We did not jump ten places in the table. We simply won one match after an 80-minute battle.”
