FIJI Airways Flying Fijians rep and master off-loader, Leone Nakarawa was in his best form again yesterday in France helping his Racing 92 team beat Toulon 22-13 in the top 14 competition.
His club moved back into sixth place in the Top 14 after the win to keep top-two hopes alive after the Toulon win Planetrugby reporterd that Nakarawa, Teddy Thomas, and Olivier Klemenczak crossed the whitewash for the home team in a result which lifts them back into the play-offs.
They keep the side’s hopes alive after Stade Francais’ win earlier in the day had sent them down to seventh.
It took a while for the Parisians to get going, with Francois Trinh-Duc’s brace of penalties giving the visitors a 6-0 lead but, once they took control, the 2016 domestic champions were ultimately too good.
Finn Russell was not at his majestic best but was still influential, playing a key role in the hosts’ first try as his mazy run and deft pass allowed Virimi Vakatawa to send Thomas clear, before the forwards began to dominate.
They continually sent Patrice Collazo’s men into reverse and the pressure eventually told as Nakarawa went over from close range.
Racing controlled possession and territory until they finally got their reward and sealed the victory through Klemenczak.
At that point, it gave them a bonus-point but they were frustrated by an obdurate Toulon performance when Brian Alainu’uese touched down and prevented the Parisians from gaining the full five.
For Toulon, they remain in a quandary but only move down one place – staying seven points ahead of Agen – after Toulouse ended the day at the top of the table by edging past Philippe Sella’s charges 27-20 at the Stade Armandie.
Meanwhile, Lyon and Castres boosted their play-off prospects after overcoming Montpellier and Grenoble respectively.
It was a particularly impressive victory for Pierre Mignoni’s men, who inflicted yet another home defeat on Vern Cotter’s side in their 25-14 triumph.
For the defending champions, they move up to eighth following a tight 16-6 win at the Stade des Alpes.
There was an impressive result for Pau, who ended their six-match domestic losing streak with a 40-23 victory over Bordeaux-Begles.
Perpignan remain winless after Stade Francais inflicted a 27-8 loss on the Catalans.
