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Someone's 100 per cent start to the Amlin Challenge Cup has got to go on Saturday when Stade Francais Paris host Grenoble at Stade Océane. - 19/10/2012 11:15
Someone’s 100 per cent start to the Amlin Challenge Cup has got to go on Saturday when Stade Francais Paris host Grenoble at Stade Océane.
The Parisian outfit, who have contested three European finals, cruised to 68-19 victory over London Welsh last Saturday.
But Grenoble marked their return to European action following a seven-year absence with a 59-3 victory over I Calivari Prato
and sit top of Pool Five.
Stade back-row forward Pierre Rabadan reckons last week’s victory was a warning to his side’s Amlin Challenge Cup rivals and he admits the Parisians are desperate to go all the way.
“If you don't go into a competition to win it, there is not point in going in at all,” said back rower Pierre Rabadan.
“We have been playing in this competition for three years, trying to win it. We have always given it our best. Our objective will be to see it to the end, or at least to go as far as possible.”
The two side’s have never met in European competition but Grenoble have already recorded a 26-12 victory over their French rivals this season and sit six places higher in the Top 14 table.
Le Stade français remporte son duel face au rival grenoblois au terme d'un match enlevé malgré des conditions climatiques difficiles. Les joueurs de la capitale ont tremblé dans les ultimes instants face à la fougue iséroise mais s'imposent tout de même à l'arrachée. - 20/10/2012 22:28
Felipe Contepomi kicked Stade Francais Paris to a last-gasp win over Grenoble in a thrilling encounter on Saturday night.
The Argentine centre struck with less than three minutes remaining to ensure Stade triumphed 28-25 in the all-French affair in the nation’s capital.
Victory had looked a near certainty as Stade led by 10 with 68 minutes gone at the Stade Oceane but Grenoble fought back to level affairs as a converted Matthieu Nicolas try and a 74th-minute penalty from Clermont Darbo threatened to shock the twice beaten Heineken Cup finalists.
But just as both sides looked like they would have to settle for a draw following convincing successes in Round 1, Contepomi kept his cool to slot the winning kick and send Stade to the top of Pool 5.
The Parisian giants had earlier enjoyed the perfect start as Remy Bonfils crossed for the game’s opening try with just three minutes on the clock.
Julien Dupy’s conversion and a first penalty handed the hosts a 10-point lead after only six minutes and it was a case of a battle of the boots for the rest of the first half and much of the second.
A Nicolas Bezy drop goal and two more penalties from Dupy kept the scoreboard ticking over for Stade before the break but a hat-trick of three pointers from Nicolas Laharrague ensured Grenoble remained very much in the contest.
It was a case of more of the same after the restart as a Jules Plisson drop goal was sandwiched between two further Laharrague penalties in the first 15 minutes.
Contepomi’s first penalty with 12 minutes left looked to have made the game safe for Stade as they opened up a two-score gap at 25-15 but the veteran midfielder would be called upon to win it all over again as the real drama unfolded late on.
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