Racing 92 silence Pau's unbeaten home run to reach Top 14 semi-finals, face Toulouse in Marseille
A 17-point burst in eight second-half minutes propelled Racing 92 to a 33-31 victory at Stade du Hameau, handing Section Paloise their first home defeat of the season and a cruel end to a 26-year wait for a playoff match.
Racing storm the Hameau fortress
Pau had gone all season unbeaten on home turf and occupied the top six for 25 rounds, but Racing 92, playoff specialists with three previous away victories at this stage, needed just 73 seconds to land the first blow. Centre Vinaya Habosi burst through a tackle, drew two more defenders and offloaded to Maxime Baudonne; the Parisians exploited the numerical advantage on the wing for scrum-half Léo Carbonneau to score under the posts.
First-half arm wrestle
The hosts responded through a Joe Simmonds penalty and, in the tenth minute, second row Hugo Auradou barged over from close range after a lineout drive (10-7). Midway through the half, English half-backs Dan Robson and Simmonds combined as the fly-half sliced through a gap to extend Pau's lead to 17-10. Antoine Gibert kept Racing within a point with three penalties, and a late interception by Auradou prevented a go-ahead score, leaving the scoreboard at 17-16 at the break.
Second-half blitz
Racing reappeared with the power that had dismantled Clermont a fortnight earlier. Gibert slotted an early penalty (19-17), then veteran centre Gaël Fickou twisted over from short range. The decisive sequence came when Pau coughed up possession in their own half and prop Demba Bamba scampered clear before sending Carbonneau over for his second try. Gibert's conversion made it 33-17 with 26 minutes to play.
- Carbonneau try after Habosi offload (0-7)
- Auradou try from lineout drive (10-7)
- Simmonds try after Robson break (17-10)
- Half-time: Gibert three penalties keep Racing close (17-16)
- Gibert penalty gives Racing the lead (19-17)
- Fickou try extends Racing advantage (26-17)
- Carbonneau second try after turnover (33-17)
- Gorgadze try for Pau (24-33)
- Rey try from maul closes gap to two points (31-33)
Late rally falls short
Pau refused to fold. Number eight Beka Gorgadze powered over from a close-range penalty, cutting the gap to 24-33. With eight minutes remaining, a catch-and-drive from a lineout saw replacement hooker Lucas Rey touch down, and Simmonds's conversion narrowed the margin to a single penalty. The Hameau roared, but the home side could not find a final score.
A fog has settled over us. I'm a bit in a fog, I can't believe we lost like that. There is a lot of frustration and sadness. We let the match slip away, we let them score too easily, especially in the second half.
What's next
Racing 92, champions in 2016, return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2023. On Friday they face defending champions Toulouse — who beat them in that 2023 semi at Anoeta — at the Vélodrome in Marseille. Pau, meanwhile, will spend a long summer digesting a seventh defeat of the campaign, a first at home when it mattered most.
