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Stade Francais can put themselves on the verge of qualification if they can follow-up last week's win in Italy. - 12/12/2012 13:17
Stade Francais can put themselves on the verge of qualification if they can follow-up last week’s win in Italy.
Francis Fainifo scored a hat-trick of tries to secure a bonus-point win at Prato.
And a similar result would see them move nine points clear of Grenoble, who play at London Welsh 24 hours later.
Left wing Fainifo was in scintillating form and ensured Stade maintained their undefeated record against Italian opposition in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Prato have made a fight of their home games so far and were unfortunate not to secure a bonus point last week after scoring three tries against Stade.
However the odds are against them pulling off a major shock in Paris.
Prato have only once managed to concede less than 50 points in their previous seven games on the road while Stade Francais are unbeaten this season at Stade Charlety.
Pour sa dernière rencontre européenne de la saison
Stade Francais Paris made it four from four and edged ever closer to quarter-final qualification as the group winners but I Cavalieri Prato were anything but pushovers at the MMArena in Le Mans and made the big-spending French club battle all the way for a 29-6 win.
And they were made to wait until the 75th minute before banking the bonus point with Francis Fainifo – who scored a try hat-trick in the Round 3 contest – going over for the club’s fourth of the match and his fifth of the tournament to take them to 19 points with matches against Grenoble at home and away to London Welsh to come in the New Year.
Jerome Porical and Simone Ragusi exchanged penalties in the first quarter and outside half Raguis added another just short of the half hour.
Those strikes with the boot sandwiched Paris’ first try with lock Juan Cruz Guillemain forcing his way over and I Cavalieri Prato’s cause was not helped when another lock made the news but for all the wrong reasons, Alessandro being sin binned just before the break and missing when the second half action resumed.
And the spotlight stayed firmly on the second row forwards, Nicolas Garrault punishing their opponents while a man short by matching his lock partner on the try front with Paris’ second.
Centre Jeremy Sinzelle got in on the try scoring act with Paris’ third seven minutes from the end before try machine Fainifo struck yet again to warp it up in style.
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