Champions Cup semi-final: Racing 92 vs Saracens talking points
Saturday's Champions Cup semi-finals: Racing 92 vs Saracens (1pm kick off); Exeter Chiefs vs Toulouse (3.30pm kick off)
By Michael Cantillon
Last Updated: 26/09/20 6:45pm
We take a look at the talking points ahead of Saturday's Champions Cup semi-final clash between Racing 92 and Saracens in Paris...
A European voyage against the odds
Saracens - where to start? Is there anybody that thought this year, of all years, they would still be in the European mix?
Over the last decade, they have clinched the Premiership title five times - four of them have come in the last five years - while they have lifted the European Cup three times out of the last four seasons.
In the last 10 years, they have made the final of the Premiership on seven occasions, and the European Cup four times. They have dominated the European game like no club before them.
November 2019 then brought the news that Sarries had done so by breaching the Premiership's £7m salary-cap for three successive seasons in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The ensuing punishment was severe: a 35-point Premiership points deduction and £5.36m fine.
This initial punishment led Saracens to turn their focus solely onto the Premiership and survival. Weakened sides were fielded in Paris against Racing 92 and in Limerick against Munster in the pool stages, with the club losing twice, though crucially gaining a losing bonus point at Thomond Park.
In January 2020, there was a further twist. Indeed, it was found the reigning European Cup and Premiership champions were substantially over the salary cap again this season (2019-20), to sit alongside their breaches of the previous three campaigns, and were not able to suitably bring down costs in time to fall in line.
Saracens accepted relegation, before they were docked a further 70 points to ensure they would finish bottom of the table. Europe was now all they had to play for.
Amid the extraordinary turn of events, that losing bonus point in Limerick still presented a chance to progress, despite the opening weekend battering in France.
First, they had to beat an irresistible Racing side on the final weekend of the pool stages in London. And when pivotal No 8 Billy Vunipola got injured and second row Will Skelton was red carded - both within the first half - that looked incredibly unlikely.
Yet, the 14 men, despite being seven points down, secured a 27-24 victory with backs to the wall in typical Saracens fashion, qualifying for the quarter-finals as eighth and final seeds. It set up a clash with top-seeds Leinster to come in Dublin.
Then, coronavirus struck, and a clash scheduled for April would not happen until September. In that time, Saracens lost Liam Williams to Scarlets, Ben Spencer to Bath, Skelton to La Rochelle, Titi Lamositele to Montpellier, George Kruis to Japan, Matt Gallagher to Munster, Rhys Carre to the Cardiff Blues, Joe Gray to Harlequins, and Juan Figallo was released, while each of Ben Earl, Alex Lozowski, Nick Isiekwe, Nick Tompkins and Max Malins departed on loan.
If that was not enough, the week before their meeting with Leinster, playmaker Farrell was red carded and suspended.
In all, seven players who started Saracens' victorious Champions Cup final win over Leinster in Newcastle in 2019 were absent, as were a further five replacements - 12 of the 23.
Leinster were on a 25-game winning sequence, had just picked up the PRO14 title and were at home. Almost nobody could have foreseen a Saracens win. But, against the odds again, Mark McCall's men did it.
"It was the prospect of having another week together" - was a sentiment expressed by both McCall and captain Brad Barritt in the aftermath at the Aviva Stadium.
Now, they must travel to Paris to face Racing, another side in ominously good form. Disgraced, certain of relegation, heavily depleted and still without Farrell - could Saracens pull off another remarkable victory?
Could the bridesmaids become the bride...?
Over the past four seasons, there have been four clubs involved in the business end of the European Cup more than any others.
Three of those have been Saracens, Leinster and Munster - a trio who hold nine European triumphs between them. The fourth has been Racing 92 - who have never won a European trophy.
The Parisians have been beaten finalists twice in recent years, in 2016 to Saracens in Lyon and in 2018 to Leinster in Bilbao. The second of those finals saw Racing lead four times before losing in the final minutes.
During the 2018/19 season, Racing stormed through the pool stages to finish as No 2 seeds and set up a home quarter-final with Toulouse, only to lose to their Top 14 counterparts.
Year-on-year, Racing have felt in touching distance of glory, only to fall short. Could this finally be their campaign?
Their progression to this year's semi-finals came after a thrilling victory over Clermont at the Stade Marcel Michelin - the second time in three years Racing have travelled to one of the most fearsome European arenas around and won.
As a result of that victory, Racing will be back at home in the La Defense Arena for the visit of Saracens - a venue where they have a magnificent record.
Indeed, the club have won 10 of their last 11 home games in the European Cup, including seven of eight since moving to La Defense. The club has also never lost a European semi-final before.
Half-backs Teddy Iribaren and Finn Russell possess more ability than most in Europe, while the likes of the outstanding Camille Chat, Eddy Ben Arous, Wenceslas Lauret and Bernard Le Roux in the forwards, combining with Virimi Vakatawa, Juan Imhoff and Simon Zebo in the backs is a potent mixture.
Racing have made 88 clean breaks this season - more than any other side - with their highest total coming against Saracens in Round 1 (20).
Wonderfully talented centre Vakatawa has beaten 42 defenders in the tournament, 13 more than any other player and over four times as many as any Saracens player (Elliot Daly - 10).
Can Racing's all-out attack and power conquer Saracens' intensive defence and squeeze-game?
Recent history...
Racing and Saracens have met eight times in history - all of which have come in the last 10 years.
Saracens have won six of these meetings, and have only ever lost to Racing in France once - earlier this season.
The 2016 European Cup final and a 2015 European Cup quarter-final make-up two of Saracens' victories, in addition to beating Racing twice during the 2012/13 pool stages, once in London this year and once in France during the 2010/11 pools.
Racing, meanwhile, have only beaten Saracens twice: winning at Vicarage Road in December 2010, and in Paris earlier this season in November 2019.
Sarries have won 14 of their 16 Champions Cup matches since the beginning of 2018/19 and have won 10 of their last 11 knockout fixtures, including their last four in a row, with their only defeat in that spell against Leinster in the 2018 quarter-final.
Iribaren (Racing 92): "We don't care about our record against Saracens and it doesn't give us any more pleasure to beat Saracens than Leinster. We just concentrate on ourselves and what we want is to be European champions."
Daly (Saracens): "It's all eyes on this competition for us this year. There are some huge boys in that changing room who won't be Sarries next year, so we are doing it for them at the moment. We have hopefully two more games."
