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Saturday night's clash of the top two in Pool 5 will go a long way to deciding who automatically qualifies for the quarter-finals. - 12/12/2013 14:25
Saturday night’s clash of the top two in Pool 5 will go a long way to deciding who automatically qualifies for the quarter-finals.
London Irish currently top the pool with 14 points following their 24-13 win over Stade last weekend but they face a daunting task in France in the return fixture.
Stade have only lost two of their 20 home games in the competition and the last time was 10 years ago against London Wasps.
London Irish are however the only other side to have beaten the French club at home in this competition – way back in 1997.
The Irish have a similarly impressive record in the Amlin Challenge Cup, having only lost two of their last nine games in the tournament. Both of those defeats came in back-to-back fixtures against English rivals Gloucester last season.
They have also won their last five games away in France in the competition so will travel to the Stade Jean Bouin full of confidence, but forwards coach Glenn Delaney insists they won’t be getting carried away with their Round 3 result against the Parisians.
“We are up against one of the best physical teams in France in the bound phase – scrum, lineout, lineout drive. And I can guarantee that is what we will see on Saturday night,” said Delaney.
“We cannot go out under any illusions. This will be the toughest game we will play all season, because they will feel disappointed and there will be a response from them.
“If there is one thing that the French do, it is emotion. They do it very, very well. Our blokes will be ready for it and it is just the test we need right now.”
Le Stade Français accueille jeudi soir à 20h30 les Italiens de Prato sur sa pelouse fétiche de Jean-Bouin. Une rencontre qui doit permettre aux Parisiens de rester au moins à égalité avec leurs rivaux des London Irish. - 08/01/2014 10:17
Antoine Burban crossed three minutes from time to put Stade Francais in pole position in Pool 5.
The flanker crossed to clinch a vital bonus point-victory at Stade Jean Bouin. That saw the French club move level with previously unbeaten London Irish but, crucially, ahead courtesy of match-points in in their back-to-back games.
Andrew Fenby’s early try was not enough to save London Irish from a first defeat of this Amlin Cup campaign.
Shane Geraghty also kicked three penalties but Stade hit back through Jules Plisson, Michael Van Vuuren and Jerome Porical, who kicked a further 12 points, before Burban’s late try.
London Irish arrived in Paris aiming to complete a double over last season’s runners-up. They got off to a flying start when wing Fenby raced onto Geraghty’s pin-point cross-field kick inside four minutes.
Stade hit back through Plisson in the 12th minute and Porical converted and then cancelled out Geraghty’s first successful kick as the lead changed hands three times in the first half.
The Exiles saw prop Leo Halavatau binned for a professional foul as Stade’s van Vuuren, who replaced hooker Aled de Malmanche after only three minutes, crossed.
Geraghty kicked two penalties either side of Geoffrey Doumayrou’s yellow card but Porical nudged the hosts 20-14 ahead at the break.
The game swung in the space of three minutes early in the second half when Geraghty missed the chance to half the lead only for Porical to finish a break by Hugo Bonneval to open up a 13-point gap. Burban the ensured maximum points late on for last season's beaten finalists.
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