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Racing slow rivals Stade in scrappy derby duel
By Ben Spratt
Racing 92 earned a scrappy 17-16 away derby win over Stade Francais to move within a point of their Paris rivals in the Top 14.
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Racing finished second in the table last season as Stade battled relegation, but the latter outfit were within touching distance of the summit coming into the weekend.
However, after seeing Clermont pull clear with victory on Saturday, Stade fell short 24 hours later as Racing scraped to victory.
The only two tries of the game came in the first half as Kylan Hamdaoui’s opener was cancelled out by Virimi Vakatawa, with penalties deciding the contest.
80' C'est terminé ?
Paris s'incline à domicile pour la première fois de la saison au terme d'un derby électrique. Merci aux supporters d'avoir répondu présents. Défaite amère… Retour au travail.#SFPR92 #SFParis pic.twitter.com/9XMqIGzf72
— Stade Français Paris (@SFParisRugby) September 30, 2018
Finn Russell dispatched the ball over the posts on four occasions and his final kick, moments after Stade’s Djibril Camara headed to the sin-bin, clinched victory for Racing.
“We have no excuses – Racing played well,” said Stade coach Heyneke Meyer. “This defeat is collective and it will allow us to work in several areas to be better.
“The season is long and we still have work to do.”
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