Can Scots’ flair douse French fire?
Townsend wants his Warriors to raise their game for Racing test
It WOULD be easy to script tomorrow’s European Champions Cup battle as t he Parisian Aristocrats versus t he Glaswegian grafters.
Yet, in reality, it is the Warriors’ ability to cut loose and Racing 92’s gnarly, dominant forward work that could prove decisive at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir.
A team once known for epitomising le jeu pour le jeu, taking the field i n bow- ties and coiffing champagne at half-time, the latest Racing vintage has risen to the summit of the top14 without scoring four tries in a match once this season.
they have managed that feat twice in three games in Europe — but it has come from a steady platform rather than swashbuckling flair.
By contrast, it i s Gregor townsend’s team that will look to attack with pace and width tomorrow knowing they must silence the French crowd.
‘We’re very excited,’ said the Warriors boss. ‘ the team we’re putting out there is very attackminded. We’re looking forward to playing in some dry conditions, fingers crossed.
‘We know this is a huge opportunity. We’re three points behind Racing; if they win all their games then they win the pool, if we win all our games then we win the pool. So it’s a great opportunity, a great carrot for all our players.
‘When you’re up against some of the best players in the world, it raises everybody’s focus.
‘It is a stadium with a lot of history and hopefully that will inspire us. You make them uncomfortable and you silence the crowd by playing well.
‘Maybe it is not as intimidating as toulon or toulouse. It is a bit more spread out and the Parisian supporters can be, at times, not as vociferous as when you go down to the south. But they still have a great home record.
‘ It would be up there with the biggest Glasgow results ever — we have only won in France twice in our history.
‘toulouse away was a fantastic result in 2009, Montpellier last year, too.
‘ to beat the current top14 leaders would be fantastic. the important thing would be that it would put us in a very good position going into the last two games.’
Racing are unbeaten at home this season and have the meanest defence in the Champions Cup pool stage thus far.
Most eyes will be on the World Player of the Year standing at fly-half, however.
And townsend knows stopping All Black legend Dan Carter will be key to Glasgow’s success.
‘He has a fantastic running game and is fantastic at teasing the opposition that he’s just moving it wide, and then he goes for that gap between the second and third defenders,’ townsend added.
‘H ‘He’s’ a very goodd all-roundll d player.l I’ve just watched one of his games this week when he is competing hard to win ball and you don’t see many 10s do that.
‘We know he’s in great form and he’s one of the best to ever play the game, so we know we’ve got to play really well against him and put him under pressure, as we would with any 10.’
It is expected that Scotland international Finn Russell will be tasked with taming the All Black — a match- up he has experienced before.
‘I remember Finn against the All Blacks (in November 2014). the first time Carter got the ball, he came up and tackled him and even tried to get a charge down,’ townsend said.
‘So, playing against Carter really raisedi d hi his level of performance, and I’m sure Duncan (Weir) would be the same.’
the Warriors coach has a number of injury concerns ahead of team selection today, with Peter Horne, Richie Vernon and Alex Dunbar all missing from the centres.
Without a clean bill of health and knowing the vast sums of money sloshing around the French game, a victory in Paris would be all the more special.
‘What Jacky Lorenzetti (Racing’s president) is building there is going to be outstanding,’ said townsend.
‘Already they have a team, they are going to have a new stadium and a training complex which will probably be the best in Europe.
‘We realise we are against a team that has got huge funding and have got great players but it is a great challenge for us.
‘Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have had a lot of investment over the last few years, which has led to much more success, much more competitiveness in the Pro12 and Europe but we can tell that in England and France there is more money going in.’
townsend will not use finances as an excuse, though, knowing it comes down to 80 minutes of 15 versus 15.
And, with a young set-up, with only six players aged 30 or more compared to 22 of 42 members of the Racing squad, Glasgow will hope their youthful exuberance will win the day.
Win tomorrow and it could be the start of an historical three weeks for Glasgow.