JONNY SEXTON KICKED a flawless seven from seven off the tee to power Racing Métro into an unexpected 21-16 victory away to Toulouse in their Top 14 barrages match.
The Parisian club will now face Toulon in the semi-finals in Lille next Friday.
Sexton’s 100% return with his place-kicks rewarded the muscular, battling performance of his forward pack, with Racing sticking to a relatively risk-free game plan that ultimately paid off.
Club president Jacky Lorenzetti will have been thrilled by his 28-year-old out-half’s performance in the Stade Ernest Wallon, with Sexton barely putting a foot wrong over the course of the 80 minutes.
Toulouse’s indiscipline allowed the Irishman to keep the scoreboard ticking over for Racing throughout, while Guy Novès pack were dismantled at the set-piece. The line-out problems were largely of Toulouse’s own making, but the visitors deserve credit for their muscular efforts in the scrum.
Novès’ men did enjoy a frenzy of attacking incision after half-time, leading to a try for Hosea Gear, but could not sustain that energy for the remainder of the game. Their only other scoring came through the boot of Jean-Marc Doussain, who kicked 11 points.
Three missed penalties [two from Doussain, one from Luke McAlister] proved costly for Toulouse in the end, although they were deserved losers in this particular encounter.
Racing advance to face the daunting task of toppling Toulon in the semis, but with a big game player like Sexton in their XV, coaches Laurent Labit, Laurent Travers and Ronan O’Gara will believe in an upset.
