Racing 92 secured a thrilling 33-31 win over Pau on Saturday, booking their spot in the Top 14 semi-finals and setting up a showdown against champions Toulouse in Marseille next weekend.
Scrum-half Leo Carbonneau scored two tries for the Parisians, who kept their hopes of a first French title in a decade alive in a gripping encounter.
Pau had produced a stunning comeback in March to beat Racing 27-17 in the same Stade du Hameau ground, but they were unable to repeat the feat despite a late comeback.
Racing took just 73 seconds to open the scoring, with centre Vinaya Habosi bursting through one tackle and producing a brilliant offload to Maxime Baudonne.
Pau bounced back with fly-half Joe Simmonds kicking a penalty and second row Hugo Auradou barging over from close range, but Antoine Gibert's three first-half penalties kept Racing within a point at half-time.
The game seemed to turn in Racing's favour when Pau coughed up the ball in their own half, allowing prop Demba Bamba to scamper away and pass to Carbonneau for his second try.
Despite a late comeback from Pau, Racing held on for a three-score lead with 26 minutes to play, securing a semi-final spot and a clash against Toulouse in Marseille next weekend.
