Lyon v Racing 92 teams: Owen Farrell handed captain’s armband for Challenge Cup clash
Owen Farrell in action for Racing 92 in the 2024/25 season
Former England captain Owen Farrell will lead Racing 92 into their all-French Challenge Cup semi-final against Lyon, while also donning the 12 jersey for the first time this season.
All of Farrell’s 16 appearances for the Parisians have come at fly-half, including his three appearances off the bench, but will now slot alongside fellow Englishman Dan Lancaster in a new playmaking axis.
Owen Farrell leads Racing 92 for Challenge Cup clash
Davit Niniashvili starts at full-back for Top 14 outfit Lyon, with Vincent Rattez and Ethan Dumortier named on the wings. Josiah Maraku is named at 13, joining Theo Millet in midfield. Léo Berdeu and skipper Baptiste Couilloud start in the halves.
Up front, Arno Botha is named at eight, with Liam Allen and Dylan Cretin on the flanks. Mickael Guillard and Theo William partner in the locks, with Jermaine Ainsley, Guillaume Marchand and Hamza Kaabeche in the front-row.
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The bench includes the likes of Cedate Gomes Sa, Beka Saginadze and Charlie Cassang.
For Racing, Tristan Tedder starts at full-back, with Max Spring and Donovan Taofifenua named on the wings. French legend Gael Fickou joins skipper Farrell in the centres, with Lancaster slotting in alongside Nolann le Garrec in the halves.
Cameron Woki gets the nod at number eight, with English U20s star Junior Kpoku and Maxime Baudonne joining him on the flanks. Wales international Will Rowlands starts alongside Boris Palu in the locks, with Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Diego Escobar and Eddy Ben Arous in the front-row.
Fijian ace Josua Tuisova and Romain Taofifenua are the headline names on the bench.
Lyon v Racing team news in full
Lyon: 15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Vincent Rattez, 13 Josiah Maraku, 12 Theo Millet, 11 Ethan Dumortier, 10 Léo Berdeu, 9 Baptiste Couilloud (c), 8 Arno Botha, 7 Liam Allen, 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Mickael Guillard, 4 Theo William, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Guillaume Marchand, 1 Hamza Kaabeche
Replacements: 16 Yanis Charcosset, 17 Jérôme Rey, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Killian Geraci, 20 Beka Saginadze, 21 Maxime Gouzou, 22 Charlie Cassang, 23 Martin Meliande
Racing 92: 15 Tristan Tedder, 14 Max Spring, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Donovan Taofifenua, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 Nolann le Garrec, 8 Cameron Woki, 7 Junior Kpoku, 6 Maxime Baudonne, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Boris Palu, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Diego Escobar, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Janick Tarrit, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Thomas Laclayat, 19 Jordan Joseph, 20 Kleo Labarbe, 21 Antoine Gibert, 22 Josua Tuisova, 23 Romain Taofifenua
Venue: Matmut Stadium de Gerland
Kick-off: 12:30 (GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (Eng)
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce (Eng) and Sam Grove-White (Sco)
TMO: Ian Tempest (Eng)
