repechagenoun [ U or C ]
also repêchage /ˈrep.ə.ʃɑːʒ//ˌrep.əˈʃɑːʒ/a practice in some sports in which players or teams who come very close but fail to get through to the next round of a competition are allowed to continue to the next round, often after winning an additional race or game; one additional race or game in such a system:
It will be interesting to see how the team do in repechage.
the repechage system
The women's eight were eliminated, finishing fifth in a repechage from which four boats qualified for the final.