Racing, Pau clash ahead of All Blacks influence

Racing 92 take on Pau in the Top 14 on Friday under the shadow of an impending All Blacks mini-invasion featuring Dan Carter, Conrad Smith and Colin Slade.

The three New Zealanders won't start the game although 28-year-old Slade will be on the replacements bench for Pau while Smith, a teammate at the promoted club, and Racing star recruit Carter will wait until next weekend.

Pau were thrashed 46-10 by Bordeaux last week and are third from bottom in the Top 14, just three points ahead of Agen and Oyonnax.

"Have we played well this season? No, not particularly and the table doesn't lie," said Pau's New Zealand manager Simon Mannix.

But help is at hand in the shape of World Cup winner Smith, the 34-year-old veteran centre who racked up 94 caps for the All Blacks and Slade, the winner of 21 caps whose international career has been spent in the shadow of fly-half star Carter.

With the financial backing of petroleum giant Total, Pau have also boosted their international brigade with lock forward Julien Pierre, Irish back-rowers Sean Dougall and Paddy Butler as well as Scottish prop Euan Murray.

Smith and Slade will be key to turning the season around for Pau, who are back in the top flight for the first time in nine years and have so far registered just three wins.

"Racing are one of the best sides in Europe. We know what awaits us on Friday," said Mannix.

"We need a performance from honest players who will sacrifice themselves for each other."

He added: "Slade is physically fresh, his time to adapt has been very short but there is a desire to get him involved quickly. It (fly-half) is a key post and he has a good understanding of the game."

Carter, world player of the year in 2015 and world record points holder (1,598), arrived in Paris only last Friday and has penned a three-year contract.

He trained for the first time this week and his debut is likely to come against Northampton at home in the European Cup on December 12.

Remi Tales will start at fly-half on Friday while skipper and hooker Dimitri Szarzewski, locks François van der Merwe and Luke Charteris and winger Joe Rockocoko are rested ahead of European Cup duty.
Source: AFP