When Stade Francais Paris clinched a last minute losing bonus point in their Round 4, 12-6 defeat at Sale Sharks, they leapfrogged Ospreys to go top of Pool 3.

Stade have been to Ospreys’ Liberty Stadium before (Round 1 last season) and left with the taste of defeat in their mouths. They know how tricky it will be to beat the Welsh side on their home patch, and they also know that a defeat will make their passage to the quarter-finals dependent on the results of Ospreys in Round 6.


Stade got the better of Ospreys 27-14 in Round 2, in front of 12,000 at Stade Jean Boin, and need a similar result if they are to maintain their claim as one of Europe’s top sides and qualify for the final eight of Europe’s top competition.