Lyon takes control, Racing reassures itself against Castres

Time to Reading 1 min.

Lyon, solid and realistic, took the top 14 after his victory over Toulouse (22-12) Sunday 1^st September at Gerland, after a closing match of the 2^e unspectacular day.

The Lyonnais are tied with Bordeaux-Bègles (9) but with a better difference while the Stade Toulouse, conceding a second defeat in a row, is 12.^e with a single point. "Taking a point in two games is worrying. But there is a difference between worry and panic ", tempered the pillar Clément Castets.

Led by opener and striker Jonathan Wisniewski and Australian flanker Liam Gill, absent against Paris the week before, the LOU, strong in defense and conquest, suffered against a diminished French champion.

Quickly led, the Toulouse did not manage to take the enemy defense of speed and tried to pass in force. But two mauls (27^e, 28^e) were rejected by the Lyonnais, with a decisive intervention of 2^e South African line Etienne Oosthuizen on Toulousain hooker Guillaume Marchand (28^e).

Toulouse failed to take advantage of its numerical superiority late in the game after the final exclusion imposed on 2^e Lyonnais line Loann Goujon (60^e). "This red card could have cost us the match", has plagued Lyon coach Pierre Mignoni.

Racing 92 was reassured by beating Castres 23-14 at the Arena, where he had been surprised a week earlier by Bayonne, and opening his scoring counter in the 2^e Top 14 day.

Pressured by the departure completely missed facing the promoted bayonnais (24-17), Laurent Travers saw his players dominate an opponent who always poses difficulties, even if the coach of Racing regrets the second period "Amorphous" of his team.

"We were more efficient than last week in the first half but the second half is almost the copy confirms"he commented.

The same goes for the discipline, the Hauts-de-Seine club's last resort last season and still facing Rowing, with two yellow cards that make the game tilt in its disfavor. Las, as soon as it came into play, the flanker Yoan Tanga-Mangene got his second temporary exclusion in a week for a high tack on Thomas Combezou (78).^e).