RACING 92 HAVE recalled captain Dmitri Szarzewski for tomorrow’s Champions Cup final clash with Saracens in Lyon [KO 4.45pm Irish time, Sky Sports/BT Sport].
The 33-year-old has recovered from the knee injury he sustained in the quarter-final win over Toulon, with the experienced Virgile Lacombe providing back-up at hooker.
20-year-old France international Camille Chat misses out on making the match day 23 as a result.
Centre Henry Chavancy is also back from injury, but the homegrown Racing man only makes the bench for tomorrow’s European final.
Out-half Dan Carter is fit to start the biggest European game in the Parisian club’s history, having been integral in their progress to the final.
Meanwhile, director of rugby Mark McCall has gone for the same Saracens XV that beat Wasps in the semi-finals.
Racing 92:
15. Brice Dulin
14. Joe Rokocoko
13. Johannes Goosen
12. Alexandre Dumoulin
11. Juan Imhoff
10. Dan Carter
9. Maxime Machenaud
1. Eddy Ben Arous
2. Dmitri Szarzewski (captain)
3. Ben Tameifuna
4. Luke Charteris
5. François van der Merwe
6. Wenceslas Lauret
7. Bernard le Roux
8. Chris Masoe
Replacements:
16. Virgile Lacombe
17. Khatchik Vartanov
18. Luc Ducalcon
19. Manuel Carizza
20. Antonie Claassen
21. Mike Phillips
22. Remi Tales
23. Henry Chavancy
Saracens:
15. Alex Goode
14. Chris Ashton
13. Duncan Taylor
12. Brad Barritt (captain)
11. Chris Wyles
10. Owen Farrell
9. Richard Wigglesworth
1. Mako Vunipola
2. Schalk Brits
3. Petrus du Plessis
4. Maro Itoje
5. George Kruis
6. Michael Rhodes
7. Will Fraser
8. Billy Vunipola
Replacements:
16. Jamie George
17. Richard Barrington
18. Juan Figallo
19. Jim Hamilton
20. Jackson Wray
21. Ben Spencer
22. Charlie Hodgson
23. Marcelo Bosch
Referee: Nigel Owens [WRU].
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I’m sure Murphy is a very good coach with plenty of strong recommendations but is this an opportunity lost to bring someone new into the fold with different ideas who isn’t tied to the current management team?
@Ricky Wright: I think Irfu have taken a good approach to u20′s management in the last number of years. They seem to go for coaches who place a high degree of emphasis on skills and heads up rugby. Probably why the 20′s have been more exciting to watch over the last number of years than the senior team.
@Punts & Race Discussion: if we look at the sort of players which have come through and are coming through at Munster and Leinster in the forwards it makes a great reading for the type of players Ireland are looking to produce. I know am missing a few guys here but off top my head that reads well from last few years. All athletically gifted and skilled.
Doris
Deegan
Baird
Connors
Kelleher
Penny
Porter
Ryan
Sheehan
Wycherley x2
Coombes
Ahern
Hodnett
@Punts & Race Discussion: personally I think it was a mistake to have the u20 national team head coach as the academy coach for a province. That was changed in January with Kieran Campbell being appointed. Now the rumour is he’s heading to England which is fair enough. The u20 game is a shambles at the moment due to lack of games as a result of covid. Hopefully it’ll get going again soon
Great Appointment