French star Christophe Dominici inspired Stade Francais to a stunning last-second victory in the Heineken Cup semi-final at Parc des Princes in Paris.

Winger Dominici burst around the side of a close-range ruck to dive over the try-line in injury time to break Biarritz hearts after the visitors to Paris had led for the first 89 minutes of the tension-filled match.


The Paris side went into the match with an injury list longer than lock Olivier Brouzet’s reach, but they stayed in touch throughout and stole it at the death to earn a final against the winner of the semi-final between Leicester Tigers and Toulouse.


Biarritz opened the scoring through the boot of Dimitri Yachvili as the two French heavyweights traded punches in the middle two quarters of the field.


Yachvili doubled the score on the 20-minute mark as Spreadbury found penalty after penalty in favour of Biarritz. He then missed a blatant forward pass as Biarritz moved into dropped-goal range, but outside-half Julien Peyrelongue put it wide.


Yachvili banged over another three-pointer from close range before Jerome Fillol – a scrum-half playing in the No 10 jersey – got Stade on the scoreboard with a penalty goal of his own.


Stade began using up-and-unders to move into enemy territory, but couldn’t take advantage of three spilled balls and went into the halftime break trailing 9-3.


The Paris-based club shook off the cobwebs early in the second spell, with flanker Remy Martin at the centre of a lengthy break. Fillol stepped back in the box to try a dropped goal, but he took his time and star backrower Serge Betsen charged down the kick.


Stade fullback Olivier Sarramea watched a 50-metre penalty attempt miss by a foot, but Biarritz suffered a double blow when backrower Imanol Harinordoquy was forced from the field with a head injury and lock Olivier Olibeau was yellow-carded for a professional foul. Fillol converted the penalty, but Stade were immediately on the back foot as Yachvili kicked his fourth goal.


Stade had the chance to hit back when inside centre Brian Liebenberg found himself with a six-man overlap, but all six men could only stare in disbelief as the French international banged an aimless kick downfield.


Biarritz took what looked like a match-winning lead when centre Damien Traille scored a  magical try, but then lost centre Guillaime Bousses to the sin-bin after a high but innocuous tackle.

Stade took full advantage when Fillol was driven over the try-line and referee Spreadbury ignored a knock-on, and the little outside-half’s conversion narrowed the margin to 17-13 with five minutes remaining.


Stade kept up the pressure, Spreadbury kept the game going, and Dominici finished off a lengthy series of phases with his cheeky scamper from the scrum-half position.