Stade Français took its revenge. Beaten at Jean-Bouin during the first leg (9-13), the pink soldiers, led by Peniasi Dakuwaqa, washed away the affront in style (11-27) to push their evening opponent a little further into the crisis with a 4th consecutive defeat. Stade Français takes the lead in the Top 14 alone while awaiting the result from Stade Toulousain this Sunday and remains undefeated since the start of 2024.
The two Parisian clubs started this derby reflecting their current dynamic. On one side, a dominant Stade Français, despite some inaccuracies, on the other, a Racing 92 in total perdition. Undisciplined as rarely (6 penalties in 30 minutes) and weaned from balls, the Racingmen only resisted the Parisian assaults during the first period.
But despite notable aggression, they broke down twice. First reduced to 14 after Siya Kolisi’s yellow card for a repetition of fouls, Racing could only watch as the Parisians took advantage of the numerical advantage to serve Dakuwaqa at the end of the line for the first try (10′ ). And despite three points scored on one of their rare possessions in the opposing camp (15′), Racing continued to suffer throughout the first half.
After a second try scored by Henry (24′) thanks to excellent work by Dakuwaqa, Stade Français could even have increased the score without a last-minute save in front of its line from Klemenczak (33′), on the supersonic Dakuwaqa.
Returning with other intentions and finally in their match after the break, Racing 92 held the ball more and put pressure on Stade Français. But if they came back 6 points after Henry Arundell’s well-deserved try (58′), the Racingmen saw their hopes of a comeback quickly dashed by Dakuwaqa’s fantastic try. A restart from in-goal, a little kick from above and a few seconds later, the Fijian rocket had sealed the fate of the meeting with one, if not the best try of the season.
After a new penalty from Zack Henry (71′) and the inability of Racing to pick up the score, the Parisians were content to remain solid in defense to finally win 27 to 11. With this new victory, Stade Français consolidates its leading position with 7 points ahead and sees its evening rival sinking into crisis with a 4th consecutive defeat and a 6th place in the ranking.