Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Castres hold off Racing to book Top 14 final berth

Benjamin Urdapilleta of Castres

Castres were rewarded for a fine backs-against-the-wall showing amid late pressure to upset Racing 92 19-14 and book a Top 14 final against Montpellier.

ADVERTISEMENT

A star-studded Racing side who finished second in the regular season and lost the European Champions Cup final to Leinster were clear favourites in the semi-final contest at Groupama Stadium.

But Castres, champions in 2013, benefitted from Racing’s ill-discipline before holding out with 14 men for most of the closing stages following Julien Dumora’s sin-binning.

Racing had a try ruled out in each half but, despite outscoring the underdogs two tries to one, were unable to find the killer blow.

Castres struck first when Maama Vaipulu crashed over from a maul. Benjamin Urdapilleta kicked the extras and then added a three-pointer to stretch the early lead to 10.

Louis Dupichot saw a try chalked off for a Racing infringement in the build-up, but the Paris side did respond when Juan Imhoff showed electric pace from Remi Tales’ offload to dot down.

Dupichot then broke the lines to score Racing’s second, only for ill-discipline to creep into their game, allowing Urdapilleta to kick two penalties either side of a yellow card for Ben Tameifuna, moving Castres back in front.

ADVERTISEMENT

Racing could have been punished more for that sin-binning, but Urdapilleta and Rory Kockott each missed from the tee.

Racing scrum-half Teddy Iribaren thought he had punished those missed kicks when he broke following a line-out to score under the posts, only for the play to be called back for a forward pass.

Urdapilleta then gave Castres some breathing space by once again splitting the posts, although Dumora’s yellow for a high tackle on Imhoff with 14 minutes remaining saw their numbers depleted with the lead at just five.

Racing peppered the line and had a series of close-range scrums in a dramatic finish, but Castres held firm for a fine win.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Tackling reasons for drop-out in sport | Zainab Alema | Rugby Rising Locker Room

Krakow | Leg 3 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series | Full Day Replay

Kubota Spears vs Tokyo Sungoliath | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

W
Walt Fieger 2 hours ago
Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

Losing money is never easy, but losing it in a high-stakes investment hits differently. I learned this firsthand after falling victim to what seemed like a promising staking pool. Lured by bold promises of high returns and low fees, I decided to invest $18,000 into what I believed was a secure opportunity.At first glance, everything about the platform appeared legitimate. It had a sleek interface, positive user reviews, and an active community that vouched for its credibility. I felt confident I had found a reliable investment. But just weeks after staking my funds, whispers of vulnerabilities in the system started to surface. Still, I ignored the signs, trusting that the project was secure.That trust was shattered. A hacker exploited a weakness in the system’s contract, and in a matter of moments, my entire investment vanished. I was devastated. The betrayal stung deeply despite my research and caution, I had become another victim of a 

WhatsApp: +1 (920) 408‑1234

devastating exploit.Desperate for a solution, I discovered PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY, a service known for recovering lost or stolen digital assets. Their reputation for recovery and forensic investigation sparked hope, so I reached out immediately.From the very beginning, the team at PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY was professional, empathetic, and incredibly knowledgeable about the inner workings of digital systems. They carefully analyzed the compromised contract and traced the stolen funds across multiple channels using advanced forensic tools.After a thorough investigation, they achieved what I thought was impossible they successfully recovered 100% of my lost funds. The relief I felt was indescribable. What had seemed like a hopeless situation turned into a powerful reminder of the value of expert help in the volatile world of online investments.This taught me critical lessons: always conduct in-depth research before trusting any platform, and never underestimate the importance of having reliable recovery solutions. In such an unpredictable environment, services like PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY are not just helpful, they're essential.Moving forward, I’ll approach every investment with greater caution. And if I ever face trouble again, I know exactly who will assist me with PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY.  Email: pro wizard gilbert recovery (@) engineer. com Website info: http s://pro wizard gilbert recovery. info

55 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ How key Waratahs playmakers could reshape Joe Schmidt's Wallabies backline How key Waratahs playmakers could reshape Joe Schmidt's Wallabies backline
Search