Zebo bringing star quality in Racing’s quest to secure titles
THEY’VE got the ground, and whataplaceitistoo;themoney, thanks to the considerable financial backing of Jacky Lorenzetti; and, not surprisingly, the playing roster too, with Simon Zebo adding some fresh stardust.
All good really, but what Racing 92 don’t have is much silverware to show for all the investment Lorenzetti has made over the last two decades in turning the club from the backwater of lower tier French rugby into the powerful and chic presence they have in the Top 14 and Europe.
One Top 14 title in 2016 hardly constitutes a bulging trophy cabinet, while losing two of the last three Champions Cup finals smacks of carelessness, though in actual fact losing the shootouts to Saracens in 2016 in Lyon and then last May to Leinster in Bilbao is nothing to be ashamed of against two such European powerhouses.
And it’s not as if the club haven’t spent big having had Jonathan Sexton and Dan Carter through their books, but achieving the twin aspirations of domestic and European dominance has proved frustratingly elusive, even though now departed assistant coach Ronan O’Gara reckoned they were on the right road to tasting more success.
Though Zebo is newly arrived — and has been in decent try-scoring form while joining former Munster and Ireland team-mate Donnacha Ryan, who already has a season behind him — Racing find themselves mid-table in the Top 14 and also extremely fortunate to have escaped Llanelli last weekend with a win by the narrowest of margins, 14-13.
They still look good to be pool-toppers though, but need to deal with Ulster at the stunning La Defense Arena in appropriate fashion, which requires not just a win but a try bonus to sit alongside it.
This time around Zebo is at full-back — he ended up starting on the wing at Parc y Scarlets — and with Argentina international Juan Imhoff back in the side and Les Bleus winger Teddy Thomas returning as well, the hosts have a more than decent back three to call upon.
Scotland’s Finn Russell will again game-manage at 10 and the plan, on Racing’s artificial surface, will be to involve the outside backs.
Irish lock Ryan misses out this time, but former All Black lock Dominic Bird will tower at the lineout — where Racing will still seek to maul — and partner Leone Nakarawa will be off-loading whenever he can.
With the scrum perhaps more geared towards producing ball to run with, Racing’s all international back-row of Wenceslas Lauret, Bernard le Roux and Antonie Claassen will come into their own on the slick surface.
Tripping up tonight looks unlikely.