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Saracens’ Marcelo Bosch sends his team into Champions Cup semi-finals Saracens’ Marcelo Bosch sends his team into Champions Cup semi-finals
(about 1 hour later)
Marcelo Bosch, the Saracens centre, landed a match-winning penalty with the final kick of the game to guarantee English representation in the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup. Sporting history is not littered with too many examples of English teams being saved from oblivion by the boot of an Argentinian. As Marcelo Bosch lined up the final kick of a remarkable quarter-final, some 47 metres away from the posts, a strong breeze also made a stunning Easter Sunday renaissance by Saracens far from probable. If ever there has been a gripping last tango in Paris this was it.
Bosch stepped up to take the 55-metre shot at goal after the Racing Metro replacement Fabrice Metz had been penalised for diving over the top with only 10 seconds remaining on the clock. The history-books will merely record the ball flew straight and true to propel Sarries into a third successive European semi-final, the sole English side left in the last four, but such a sparse summary does scant justice to the slender margins involved. The visitors were pummelled and battered for lengthy periods and, with 10 seconds left, were on the brink of joining this weekend’s procession of Premiership losers. The fact they, rather than Racing, will now be facing Clermont in the semis says much about their character and never-say-die attitude.
The kick was at a slight angle and into the wind, but the Argentinian nervelessly steered his attempt between the uprights to seal a 12-11 victory and was immediately mobbed by his team-mates as the final whistle sounded. As well as the mighty Bosch, who last kicked a winning goal a decade ago in his native country for his amateur side Belgrano Athletic against their fierce local rivals Alumni, they also had good reason to thank the hapless Racing replacement Fabrice Metz, who had been on less than three minutes when he stumbled off his feet at the critical final ruck and gave the referee Nigel Owens little option but to ping him.
As a precaution, the referee Nigel Owens and his touch judges were escorted from the pitch by security as boos rang out in protest at the Welsh official’s decision to penalise Metz. The likes of Jonathan Sexton and his kicking coach Ronan O’Gara, both now employed by Racing, have been in a similar position plenty of times but on this occasion the boot was on someone else’s foot.
The Stade Yves-Du-Manoir had rubbed its eyes in disbelief as Saracens led 6-5 at the interval despite having been pummelled throughout a one-sided first half. Even the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, thought Alex Goode would be stepping up and was somewhat startled when Bosch took the responsibility instead. He need not have worried, the 31-year-old proving to be the coolest man in the stadium. “I tried to be as relaxed as possible because we had the wind in our face and I didn’t want to force it,” he explained afterwards. “My kicking coach tells me to imagine I’m on the beach and that’s what I did.”
Last season’s runners-up had summoned upon their reserves of character and experience of knockout European rugby to stay in contention as the showdown entered a decisive final 10 minutes. Given Bosch’s wife is about to present him with twins any day, it is fair to say the experienced centre keeps calm in a crisis. McCall was the first to concede his side did not play brilliantly with the wind at their backs in the first-half but he rated the second 40 minutes among the most resilient displays of his time in charge. “I’d say our second-half performance was as courageous, brave and hard-working as I’ve seen,” suggested the former Ireland centre. “We went hunting, kept knocking them down and scrapped for absolutely everything. It took until the 80th minute for that chance finally to arrive but it was a result of a lot of effort and courage before that.
Their fly-half Charlie Hodgson kicked one penalty and full-back Alex Goode supplied six points to keep the match favourites in sight. “I was surprised to see it was Bosch taking the final kick because I thought it was in Alex Goode’s range. But the wind was very strong so it ended up being in Marcelo’s range. He had the nerve and balls to say he wanted it, which is half the battle.”
Two second-half penalties from scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, who also crossed for the game’s only try in the 27th minute, placed Racing in control that the Parisians only relinquished as Owens was preparing to blow for full time. Racing, even so, will forever regard this as a priceless chance spurned. Beneath a sky of pale blue and fluffy white clouds to match their own “ciel et blanc” outfits, they frequently had the visiting forwards on the back foot and should have scored more than the game’s solitary try, by the outstanding Maxime Machenaud, after 26 minutes. With Jim Hamilton also sin-binned, everything seemed teed up for them to reach a first European semi-final and repay at least a chunk of their millionaire owner Jacky Lorenzetti’s huge investment.
Saracens’ victory has set up a last-four showdown with Clermont in St Étienne in two weeks’ time. They reckoned without Sarries’ tenacity in adversity, with Billy Vunipola, Alex Goode and Bosch in the vanguard. Even after Machenaud had put his side ahead with two second-half penalties the hosts could never quite land the conclusive knock-out blow, not least when Dimitri Szarzewski dropped the ball over the line and a desperate tackle from Bosch – as well as a forward pass – denied the latter’s Puma team-mate Juan Imhoff.
Saracens drew first blood with a Hodgson penalty, but it was Racing who showed a sharper edge in attack with the Wales centre Jamie Roberts prominent as they found early openings. No wonder Jamie Roberts, set to confirm his future back across the Channel in the next couple of days, pronounced himself “gutted” and “devastated” for his team. It is Saracens who can now plan for a trip to St Étienne to face Clermont, the team they defeated 46-6 at Twickenham at this same stage last season.
Goode was lucky to escape punishment for blocking Teddy Thomas as the Top 14 club continued to pour forward and only the failure to ground properly prevented hooker Dimitri Szarzewski from scoring. The French giants will be favourites this time around but neutral ground at least gives Saracens a puncher’s chance. “We shouldn’t worry too much about how we won but just that we won and reached our third consecutive semi-final in this tough competition,” said McCall, who hopes to have his Test centre Brad Barritt back available. “That says a lot about the players we have.”
Saracens’ pack had splintered before the lineout catch and drive that led to the chance for Szarzewski and Racing’s control continued as Roberts bulldozed a path through the black shirts. Racing Métro Dulin; Imhoff (Goosen, 57), Chavancy, Roberts (Dumoulin, 52), Thomas, Sexton (Philips, 77), Machenaud; Ben Arous (Brugnaut, 53), Szarzewski (capt; Lacombe, 53), Ducalcon (Mujati, 52), Charteris, Van der Merwe (Metz, 77), Lauret, Gerondeau (Dubarry, 57), Claassen.
An interlude of Saracens probing for the line was brief and in their next attack Racing scored, Machenaud ending another rolling maul by darting between several defenders to dive over. Try Machenaud: Pens Machenaud 2.
With lock Jim Hamilton in the sin-bin for bringing down a maul and Hodgson missing a pair of penalties in quick succession, the Premiership title challengers were contributing to their downfall yet still trailed only 5-3 on the scoreboard. Saracens Goode; Ashton, Bosch, Wyles, Strettle; Hodgson, Wigglesworth (capt; De Kock, 66); M Vunipola (Gill, 55), George (Brits, 55), Du Plessis (Johnston, 53), Kruis, Hamilton (Itoje, 57), Wray (Brown, 53), Burger, B Vunipola.
Brice Dulin renewed Racing’s assault from full-back by capitalising on some feeble defending only for another promising move to end when Roberts failed to roll away. Pens Hodgson 2, Goode, Bosch.
Yet Saracens’ tenacity and a second Hodgson penalty meant they entered half-time 6-5 up and their lead was extended to four points when Goode steered the ball between the posts. Sin-bin Hamilton 26.
The home side’s wing Juan Imhoff spilt the ball forward while being tackled by Bosch when all he needed to do was fall over the line as Racing launched a rapier-like counter that ultimately ended with three points from Machenaud. Referee N Owens (Wales). Attendance 12,113.
A gliding break from Goode put Saracens back on the front foot but expert defending saw him relieved of the ball and a nerve-jangling final 10 minutes awaited when Machenaud kicked his second penalty.
It ended with Bosch completing a challenging kick under high pressure to the delight of the travelling fans.