Lyon v Racing 92: Five takeaways as rookie France bruiser shines against visitors who rue Owen Farrell’s early exit

Following Lyon’s 29-15 triumph over Racing 92 in their Challenge Cup semi-final at Matmut Stadium de Gerland on Sunday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the action.

The top line

From the outset the contrasting styles between these sides were evident as Lyon opted for an enterprising style of play in which they gave the ball plenty of air, while Racing went for a more direct approach where they opted to kick more before launching attacks.

Lyon had a bulk of the possession during the opening exchanges and strung several phases together but failed to capitalise on those opportunities as they had no points to show for their dominance.

And it was Racing who eventually opening the scoring courtesy of a Tristan Tedder penalty in the 23rd minute but the hosts drew level soon after when Leo Berdeu also succeeded with a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

Lyon continued to hold the edge and were rewarded in the 28th minute when Vincent Rattez crossed for their opening try with Berdeu adding the extras although Racing struck back via a Diego Escobar five-pointer which meant the home side held a slender 10-8 lead at half-time.

The hosts came out firing after the interval and seemed to change their game-plan as they matched Racing’s direct approach and Berdeu extended their lead with another penalty in the 48th minute.

Beka Saginadze then crossed for a converted try which gave Lyon a 20-8 lead but Racing responded five minutes later when Kleo Labarbe crossed for his side’s second try which Tedder converted.

Although it was a five-point game, Lyon finished stronger as Berdeu slotted three further penalties in the final quarter to book his side’s place in this year’s Challenge Cup final against Bath.

Owen Farrell’s exit a big blow for Racing 92

Much was said in the build-up to this match about the decision from Racing 92’s head coach Patrice Collazo to select the former England international at inside centre for this encounter.

Although Farrell is no stranger to the midfield position, he has played at fly-half in all his previous matches for the Parisian outfit.

It was obvious that Farrell’s selection alongside the much less experienced Dan Lancaster was to give the visitors the option of having a second playmaker in the backline but that plan backfired when he was forced off the field midway through the opening half.

This, when he failed a HIA after coming off second best while trying to tackle the impressive Mickael Guillard who was building up a head of steam with ball in hand.

Without Farrell’s experience and influence during the rest of the match Racing lost their way and his accurate goal-kicking was also greatly missed as Tedder was off target with some shots at goal which would usually be routine efforts for the former England skipper and if he had been on the field to slot those kicks it could have been a different story for the visitors.

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Mickael Guillard the star of the show

We’ve already mentioned the rookie France second-row as he left Farrell lying in his wake after a barnstorming run in the opening half but apart from that effort Guillard continued to be a thorn in Racing 92’s flesh during the rest of this clash.

The 24-year-old was on the field for the full 80 minutes and was a vital source of lineout possession for his team during that time while he also took the fight to his opponents with outstanding physicality with ball in hand and on defence.

The Lyon bruiser won most of the collisions in contact and led the way as his side’s forwards set an excellent platform for their backs and it was not surprising when he walked off with the official man-of-the-match award after the game.

Leo Berdeau playmaker catches the eye

While Guillard deserved his individual accolade, that award could easily have gone to Lyon’s fly-half, Berdeu, who was one of his side’s heroes in this encounter.

From the outset, the 26-year-old was in the thick of the action as he impressed with his attacking skill set and his kicking out of hand and at goal.

While he did brilliantly in launching some of Lyon’s attacks during the opening half – when they opted to be more daring on attack – he also shone when kicking for territory, especially after the interval when he used the boot more freely and on one of those occasions he put his side on the front foot with a brilliant 50/22 kick.

Meanwhile, his goal-kicking was superb throughout as he kept the scoreboard ticking for the hosts and eventually finished with a 19-point haul after succeeding with five penalties and a couple of conversions.

Racing discipline proves costly

Although Lyon were worthy winners in the end, their task was made somewhat easier by their opponents whose discipline let them down at crucial stages of this match.

From the outset, Racing 92 struggled in the scrums and they conceded a couple of penalties at the set-piece during the early stages after Lyon put plenty of pressure on them in that department.

The visitors’ scrummaging improved somewhat as the match progressed but they also struggled at the breakdowns where their players were also penalised for holding onto the ball or going off their feet at the rucks.

And despite narrowing the gap to just five points by the 55th minute after Labarbe scored his try, Racing’s discipline let them down badly in the final quarter as they conceded three penalties – which were all goaled by Berdeu – as they chased the game with one of those also resulting in a yellow card for Vinaya Habosi in the 72nd minute.

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