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Gritty Parisian derby goes the way of Racing and Gael Fickou
By PA
Racing 92 took a significant step towards claiming a place in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals by toppling Stade Francais 22-9. France centre Gael Fickou scored the only try of the last-16 first-leg clash at the Stade Jean-Bouin and it took until the 66th minute to breach the home defence.
Scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec kicked five penalties to provide the foundation for a gritty win in the Paris derby. Stade Francais suffered a major setback with 13 minutes to go when hooker Tolu Latu was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Baptiste Chouzenoux.
It was 12-6 at half-time with fly-half Joris Segonds kicking all of the Stade points and they face an uphill task to qualify for the last eight from this position, 13 points behind Racing. The rivals collide in the second leg at La Defense Arena next Sunday, with the aggregate winners to face either Bristol or Sale in the quarter-finals.
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Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.
It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.
Go to commentsDon't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
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