Lyon see off Racing to set up Challenge Cup final with Bath

With the final spot in Cardiff’s grande finale up for grabs, there was tension in the Lyon air as both sides battled it out.  There was nothing other than separate the two in the first 20 minutes while both found their footing before launching a break through. But after after almost half an hour, the deadlock was finally broken by the hosts.  Despite a previous Tristan Tedder penalty, Vincent Rattez went over to ground the first try of the afternoon, sending Lyon into the lead. Racing soon hit back with their own though, with Diego Escobar crossing five minutes from time to bring Racing to within two. 47th minute penalty from Leo Berdeu gave them hope before Beka Saginadze went over three minutes later. Racing hit straight back though, with Kleo Labarbe returning the favour with a cross of his own four minutes later. A couple of Berdeu penalties extended Lyon’s lead further as they had one foot in the Final. Lyon then held out their commanding lead for the final 10 minutes to see themselves into an EPCR Challenge Cup final since 2022, the year they were victorious in the competition. 23rd May 2025 - save the date, Lyon fans as the French side will see Bath Rugby in the grand finale in the Welsh capital.