Leicester Tigers were second best all over the park this afternoon and found themselves on the backfoot in the opening minutes when Joe Rokococo spotted a gap and raced through to give the Parisians excellent field position, from which they scored the opening try of the game, with scrum-half Maxime Machenaud squeezing over the line.
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“So I’m looking forward to coming up against him and that Saracens side”.
Racing’s reward for reaching their first European final is to face English champions Saracens, who saw off compatriots Wasps 24-17 in Reading on Saturday.
Racing had former New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter at 10 and it typified the French side’s display that his most memorable moments came in defence, with one tackle on a hitch-kicking Vereniki Goneva down the wing of the very highest class. Leicester wing Telusa Veianu’s late try set up a frenetic finish, but Racing were deserved winners as Leicester left the comeback too late.
Leicester have named the same side that beat Northampton in the Premiership last weekend for the semi-final, which will be held at the City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest Football Club.
“In big games you’ve got to convert that pressure into points when you get into the “score zone” and that killed us today”.
Joe Rokocoko made the initial break around the ruck and when the forwards got Machenaud close to the line the scrum-half darted over.
Johannes Goosen pulled a long-range penalty attempt wide and Carter missed with a drop goal from in front but the former All Black made amends in the 20 minute with his first penalty. That pressure eventually told when Carter landed another penalty, stretching Racing’s lead to 10-0.
Burns’s subsequent break helped Leicester advance but the stand-off suffered a knee injury in the process and hobbled off soon afterwards.
Williams, on as a replacement for the injured Burns, slotted over another penalty as Leicester started the second period strongly before Carter restored Racing’s seven-point cushion.
Replacement Owen Williams then kicked a 37th-minute penalty with his first touch of the match.
Leicester were incensed to concede a scrum penalty next, that Carter duly converted, for Racing to lead 16-9 on 50 minutes.
Head coach Aaron Mauger, from New Zealand, will come up against former All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter, who is in his first season with Racing.
Centre Johan Goosen finished off a flowing Racing attack but the effort was disallowed for a forward pass early in the move and although Leicester enjoyed plenty of possession, they were unable to break down a disciplined and organised Racing defence.
The Tigers breather a huge sigh of relief, but when they coughed up an obstruction penalty on 73 minutes they could only look on in amazement as Goosen sent a 49 metre penalty flying through the posts.
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Leicester’s handling errors reached double figures in a hugely frustrating half for the East Midlands men, the Tigers too often the architects of their disjointed progress.
