Racing stay in top two hunt with La Rochelle win

European Champions Cup finalists Racing 92 kept alive their hopes of finishing the regular season in the top two with a 30-14 win at La Rochelle on Friday night.With just one match left for the Parisians, they remain outsiders for a top two finish in the French Top 14 as they are level on points with Toulon andMontpellier, who both have an extra game to play -- albeit that against each other on Sunday.

Clermont, who travel to Toulouse on Sunday, maintain a six-point lead at the top and look almost certain to finish the regular season next week top of the pile.

The top two sides receive a bye into the play-off semi-finals while the teams finishing thrid to sixth must play a quarter-final round.

Racing missed out on an attacking bonus point that would have put them a point clear of Toulon and Montpellier, although they outscored La Rochelle by three tries to one.

Ninth-placed La Rochelle had retained a slim hope of finishing in the top six before kick-off and boasted the best home record in the league.

But despite first choice half-back pairing Maxime Machenaud and New Zealand legend Dan Carter both missing, Racing were solid in defence and pragmatic in attack.

Inexperienced half-backs of Xavier Chauveau and Maxime Javaux played well in managing the visitors' affairs to bring La Rochelle's 11-match winning home run to an end.

Racing became only the second side this season, after Clermont romped to a 44-6 victory at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on the opening day of the season, to return home victorious.

Argentine wing Juan Imhoff crossed the whitewash twice in the first half on five and 37 minutes as Racing turned around leading 20-9, with Australian fly-half Zack Holme's three penalties punishing the Parisians' indiscipline.

New Zealander hooker Hikairo Forbes scored a try for the hosts early in the second period before Imhoff was yellow-carded.

Trailing by just five points and with a numerical advantage, La Rochelle were buoyed but Fiji international full-back Kini Murimurivalu followed the Argentine into the sinbin allowing Javaux to kick over a third penalty.

La Rochelle's momentum was baulked and Brice Dulin sealed the victory with a try on the counter three minutes from time.

Source : AFP