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2017 Challenge Cup winners Stade Francais Paris will hope to return to winning ways when they travel to face Pau on Saturday, live on beIN SPORTS from 13:00 BST.
- Pau have met Stade Francais twice before in Europe, the 2000/01 European Cup quarter-final and the 2017/18 Challenge Cup quarter-final, with Pau winning the latter but losing the former.
- Pau are on a four-game winning at run in the Challenge Cup.
- Stade have picked up just two wins in their last eight pool matches on the road, beating Timisoara Saracens in 2016/17 and London Irish last season.
- Pau failed to score in their defeat to Ospreys in Round 1, only the second time they have been held scoreless in European competition (0-22 v Dragons in December 2015).
- Stade won all 103 of their own rucks in Round 1, the only side not to lose at least one.
An impressive display by @ospreys gave them a solid victory over @SectionPaloise 💪
Who was man of the match for you?
Highlights 👇 #ChallengeCupRugby pic.twitter.com/hNAYCe0qqa
— Challenge Cup (@ERChallengeCup) October 14, 2018
Julien Blanc of Pau celebrates after scoring a try.
Pau got off the mark in Pool 2 of the European Rugby Challenge Cup with a 21-15 victory over Stade Francais Paris.
Pau’s victory was built on a dominant first half display which saw the home side establish a 15-3 interval lead.
Ensor revient sur Antoine Hastoy mais notre numéro 10 parvient à transmettre à Julien Blanc qui marque le premier essai de la Section ! #SPSFP #ChallengeCupRugby #EnVertEtContreTous pic.twitter.com/SYC7c15MuM
— Section Paloise Béarn Pyrénées (@SectionPaloise) October 20, 2018
Pau’s Antoine Hastoy and Stade Francais’ Jules Plisson exchanged early penalties before the home side took charge from the half-hour mark.
First, scrum-half Julien Blanc crossed for the opening try and a decisive moment came four minutes from the break when the home side were awarded a penalty try. Blanc then converted to give Pau a 12-point half-time advantage.
Five minutes into the second period, Hastoy added another penalty to pile the pressure on the visitors but they gave themselves hope when winger Jimmy Yobo crossed for Stade Francais’ first try.
58' Jimmy Yobo réduit l'écart après un magnifique numéro de Lester Etien dans la défense paloise #SPSFP #SFParis pic.twitter.com/sieEZw7go6
— Stade Français Paris (@SFParisRugby) October 20, 2018
Hastoy landed his third penalty just after the hour mark to make it 21-8 but the visitors kept going right to the end when substitute Piet van Zyl crossed for their second try and Morne Steyn’s conversion completed the scoring.
Pau will host Worcester Warriors in Round 3 while Stade travel to face Ospreys.
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