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Racing beat Clermont ahead of Taylor Swift stadium switch / Photo: © AFP
Racing beat Clermont ahead of Taylor Swift stadium switch
Racing 92 overcame Clermont 26-10 to move to third in the French Top 14 table in their last game before Taylor Swift and the Olympics force the Parisians to leave home.
European games and the Top 14 schedule mean Racing do not have a home game until the weekend of May 11.
By then, American pop queen Swift will have started her four-night sold-out run of concerts at the indoor Paris La Defense Arena.
Swift follows the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney in playing the venue, opened in 2017.
The venue, which can welcome up to 40,000 people, then needs to be converted to a swimming pool for the summer's Paris Olympic Games.
Racing will play their two last home league games, 170km away in Auxerre's football stadium.
Against Clermont, Racing crossed for tries from England winger Henry Arundell, South African fly-half Tristan Tedder and Argentina winger Juan Imhoff.
They are four points off second-placed Toulouse and 11 from local rivals and league leaders Stade Francais with six rounds of the regular season to play.
Next weekend Racing head to Toulouse in the Champions Cup last 16 and are expected to welcome back South Africa's two-time World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi from injury.
However, Racing suffered potential blows to their Champions Cup hopes as scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec and fly-half Antoine Gibert suffered injuries during the win over Clermont.
Earlier, fly-half Joris Segonds kicked all Stade Francais' points as they stretched their lead at the summit with a sluggish 12-10 win at struggling Montpellier.
Montpellier remain in 13th and the relegation play off spot after their 12th defeat in 20 league games this season.
They are four points off safety after 12th-placed Lyon edged Bordeaux-Begles 27-10.
Elsewhere, former Australia hooker Tolu Latu claimed a double as Champions Cup holders La Rochelle warmed up for next weekend's last-16 tie at the Stormers by overcoming bottom side Oyonnax 40-21.
Later, Toulouse's France fly-half Romain Ntamack is set for his first game since August after recovering from a knee injury. He is on the bench to face Pau.
French rugby's poster boy Antoine Dupont starts in the number 10 shirt for the French champions.
On Sunday, Bayonne are in their second home, across the border in San Sebastian, as they host Toulon.
M.Powell--SFF
