Racing 92 have promised revenge on Saracens when the teams meet in next month’s European Champions Cup final in Lyon, a tournament neither club has won.
Racing defeated Leicester 19-16 in Nottingham on Sunday with Dan Carter, the World Cup-winning fly-half, kicking 11 points. They were knocked out of the competition at the quarter-final stage by Saracens last season, a painful last-minute defeat that has not been forgotten.
“We want revenge on Saracens,” said the Racing captain, Maxime Machenaud, who scored Racing’s try against Leicester. “I can still feel the pain of losing to them last year and we have three weeks to get ready for the final. We did not have many fans in Nottingham and I hope it will be different in Lyon.”
Carter is hoping for a World Cup and European Cup double after his success with the All Blacks last year to mark the end of his international career but he believes Saracens will start as favourites.
“It has been an amazing five months for me,” Carter said. “Winning the European Cup final would top things off and it would be a dream come true. The competition was a big reason for my wanting to play in France and to make the final is an amazing achievement.
“We knew it would go down to the wire against Leicester because they are a very good, fit side and Saracens also have quality. They are the form side of the tournament and they will start as the favourites. It is a game I am very much looking forward to. I have played against Owen Farrell a few times and he is a great and physical competitor who leads his side extremely well.”
Leicester were looking to make their first final since 2009 but were unable to claw their way back after conceding 10 points in the opening 20 minutes. “It was a disappointing result but I am very proud of the effort the players put in against a very good side,” said the club’s director of rugby, Richard Cockerill.
“We created chances but made some mistakes. The difference between the sides in the end was a dodgy penalty that they received at a scrum in the second half when we had been dominant in that area throughout. It was frustrating because we played some great stuff. Racing probably deserved the victory in the end and we are not ones who sulk. We will pick ourselves up and focus on making the Premiership play-offs.”
