Champions Cup: Racing 92 & Toulouse – Joe Worsley’s guide to French semi-finalists

Joe Worsley laughs. “I’ve gone native,” he tells BBC Sport.

When he talks tactics now, he normally struggles to grab the English jargon so outmoded is he to their French equivalents.

• Racing 92 v Saracens – personnel news, preview and quotes
• Exeter v Toulouse – personnel news, preview and quotes

Who better then to give the inner observe on Racing 92 and Toulouse, who pair off with Saracens and Exeter respectively on this Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-finals?

Racing rendez-vous for Saracens

Racing 92 savor had some ambitious archaic plug-halves. Recent Zealand aspects machine Dan Carter spent three years in Paris. Sooner than him Ireland’s Johnny Sexton and Argentina’s Juan Martin Hernandez introduced their distinctive, varied kinds to the shirt.

Now, it’s a ways the turn of Scotland’s maverick playmaker Finn Russell. And he is doing it rather properly.

“He doesn’t witness love grand, however he does all the pieces for them,” trilled French sport newspaper L’Equipe earlier this month, describing Russell as the “most spectacular plug-half in the High 14”.

One in every of Worsley’s first games on the touchlines at Castres modified into a 27-0 defeat by Racing relief in January.

“Finn Russell modified into implausible that day,” he remembers. “He has been in high contain for the previous couple of weeks.

“He has radically modified their threat in assault.

“Previously they had some thrilling avid gamers who might possibly possibly possibly well damage a tackle and build an offload on their very have. Now they savor someone who can bring all these avid gamers into the game a ways more.

“Mosey Juan Imhoff is a truly intriguing player, the system he reads Russell’s intentions build him a tall threat, whereas centre Virimi Vakatawa has indubitably benefited from Russell putting him into holes.

“Russell’s arrival has created an assault that can threaten out wide or advance the ruck. For many who mess up your numbers, lose a collision or accelerate away just a dinky of put, he has the imaginative and prescient and choices to punish it.”

Russell’s yawning accelerate away out-passes and deft chips into put savor made for bumper highlight reels this season. But Racing savor also learned to combine pragmatism with the pyrotechnics.

“They attach now now not overplay,” explains Worsley. “That is something they savor improved. Whether it’s a ways now now not going properly, they attach now now not relief banging away, they are going to kick to put and let the opposite personnel mess up.”

Worsley highlights quantity eight Antonie Claassen as one of many gigantic establish performers in pack that mixes heavy-accountability ball-carrying with a huge appetite for the breakdown donkey work.

He believes that Saracens can be ready to play at a slide that is unhappy for the French facet nonetheless, with High 14 fits, in particular as officers enforce original laws around the breakdown, in most cases slower than those in the Premiership.

• LISTEN: Saracens’ penultimate dance? – Rugby Union Weekly

“Racing would now now not savor played at the level that Saracens played against Leinster, they are going to savor to acquire outmoded to the depth of getting the ball in play for 35-40 minutes,” he added.

“Saracens savor misplaced just a dinky of physicality, with the likes of George Kruis and Will Skelton departing. So, whereas they serene savor an fabulous personnel of avid gamers, they are just a dinky weaker.

“I accelerate to pass for Racing to grab. I feel they are in a truly gorgeous space for the time being with a rounded sport and an fabulous personnel of avid gamers.”

Toulouse to grab?

The reigning French champions against the runaway Premiership leaders. It is likely to be that the day’s 2d Anglo-French semi-final is the gorgeous ‘Le Crunch’, club edition.

It indubitably comes with two contrasting kinds.

“Toulouse savor avid gamers who savor scored straight from nothing. The likes of Cheslin Kolbe and Antoine Dupont assault instinctively, reading the put so properly,” explains Worsley.

“Defensively that is nigh on now now not attainable to rearrange for.

“Exeter are a truly varied personnel, very structured. You admire what will happen. You just savor to prefer a witness at to 1 draw or the opposite stop it.”

For your total backline aptitude, Worsley believes the battle can be won up entrance as Exeter impose their shut-quarters sport on a jumbo-sized Toulouse pack that involves 20-stone prop Charlie Faumuina and 6ft 10in 2d row Rory Arnold.

At 37, Recent Zealander Jerome Kaino might possibly possibly possibly well savor misplaced about a of his energy and slide that made him a key section of two World Cup profitable aspects, however he now makes his supreme affect culturally rather than bodily.

“Kaino has come in and done just a dinky of what Jonny Wilkinson did for Toulon – giving them a level of professionalism and leadership that they didn’t savor sooner than,” said Worsley.

“He is an intriguing man who has lived in implausible rugby environments and has lifted up the total personnel.”

Fancy Racing, Toulouse savor completed a better steadiness between taking half in intriguing and chancing the sensational in fresh seasons.

The style of plug-half Romain Ntamack, the 21-yr-dilapidated son of Toulouse memoir Emile, has helped.

“He is an exact expertise,” said Worsley. “At the birth I plot he made too many mistakes and his kicking wasn’t gorgeous enough, however he has been getting grand better.

• READ: ‘Romain grew up with rugby in his blood’

“I worked with his dad for about a years at Bordeaux-Begles and they were constantly on the cell phone talking tactics.”

Worsley believes this might possibly occasionally likely possibly possibly well additionally be the French facet that triumphs.

“I’d facet with the French again,” he said. “But I’m indubitably to witness if the English aspects can play with the slide that would upset Racing and Toulouse.”