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Up for the Challenge: Stade Francais
Photo: Eoin Mundow/Cleva Media |
It's make or break time
for Stade Francais tonight as they take on Clermont Auvergne
in their all-French ACC semi-final.
The fallen Parisian
giants know that success in the ACC hands them a lifeline
into next season's Heineken Cup, while failure tonight would
bring to an end another miserable of underachievement.
But two major factors
point to a possible night of joy for Michael Cheika's team
as they seek on-field redemption.
The first is the fact
the game will be played on home turf at the Stade Charléty,
while the second is that Clermont are still very much
involved in the Top 14 play-offs - and thus have relegated
the importance of this match.
Vern Cotter's charges
are far too wise to actually come out and say that, but the
Kiwi's team selection speaks volumes, with 'Les Jaunards'
showing 12 changes from their weekend league victory against
La Rochelle. Some changes, admittedly, have been enforced
due to injury (such as Brock James and Julien Malzieu), but
the majority are due to Clermont's desire to keep their
powder fresh for their last Top 14 game - away to Stade
Toulousain.
Stade Francais, by
contrast, having nothing left to play for in the league and
will thus put every ounce of effort into tonight's game as
they look to book themselves into their first European final
since 2005, when they lost the in the Heineken Cup to Stade
Toulousain.
To that end Cheika has
brought back all available big guns, with the likes of Tom
Palmer, Sergio Parisse, Julien Arias, Lionel Beauxis, James
Haskell and Rodrigo Roncero all seemingly refreshed having
been rested for their 54-20 weekend drubbing at Bayonne.
If Stade's league form
was anything to go by then this would be an easy result to
predict - they have lost six of their last seven games,
including a a 20-10 home loss to Clermont - but the
Parisians have been focusing on ACC success for some weeks
now, and that should count heavily in their favour tonight.
They certainly won't lack for incentive, as English winger
Ollie Phillips confirmed.
The former England
sevens captain admitted Stade would have "been on suicide
watch" had they not rallied from 16-0 down to win against
Montpellier in the quarter-finals, but now it's down to the
last four the mood in the camp is buoyant.
"It's all to play for
for us," he told erc.com. "This side has got that
ability and talent to win these one-off games. We need to
keep it together and keep it going," said the ex-Newcastle
Falcons flyer.
Phillips, who is on the
bench for tonight's clash, admitted that victory - no matter
how it was achieved - was all that mattered.
"It's our sole
opportunity for Heineken Cup rugby next season, and also for
some silverware. For some boys leaving, and for those
staying, this is the all-important game now," he said.
Indeed, if reports in
the French press are to be believed then Stade are in for a
major squad overhaul this summer, so the carrot of Heineken
Cup rugby next season will be invaluable in terms of
persuading new players to sign for them. It would also ease
their current financial difficulties.
"It's imperative for
this club to be back in the Heineken Cup. Whiles the ACC is
a great tournament, this club merits being on the biggest
European stage. With the huge pedigree and history it has,
that's where it should be and that's where we want to aim,"
confirmed Phillips.
2010/11 ACC tables, fixtures & results
Clermont skipper Aurélien Rougerie
said his team's recent 20-10 at the Stade de France
earlier this month was an irrelevance.
"The Amlin Challenge
Cup is a different competition with different refereeing and
we will need to adapt and forget our previous results,"
warned Rougerie. "The fact we are playing in Paris again in
such a short space of time is a sheer coincidence," he
added.
The France
winger/centre is aware that it's a shit-or-bust situation
for Stade Francais. "There is a lot at stake for them and
this will make the semi-final all the more fierce," he said.
Clermont will be going
for their third ACC title, but Rougerie admitted that the
new inclusion of teams from the Heineken Cup groups - of
which Clermont are one this season - means that it carries a
bit more cache these days.
"A trophy is always
good to have in your cabinet and we're up for that, ad we
will certainly work hard towards that," he added.
The current French
champions were forced to make a late change to their
starting XV after Tasesa Lavea - who had been named at
fly-half in place of the injured James - was in turn forced
to withdraw. That means Brent Russell will now start in the
No 10 shirt, while exciting young Fijian wing Kini
Murimurivalu gets another opportunity to showcase his
considerable talents.
The scrum-half battle
between Julien Dupuy and Morgan Parra should make
fascinating viewing, while the outside centre clash of
Mathieu Bastareaud and Rougerie could be eye-watering.
Stade Francais team:
Southwell, Arias, Bastareaud, Tiesi, Boussés, Beauxis,
Dupuy, Roncero, Sempere, Attoub, Palmer, Papé, Haskell,
Burban, Parisse (capt). Subs: Bonfils, Slimani,
Weber, Marchois, Rabadan, Leguizamon, Oelschig, Phillips.
Clermont Auvergne
team: Pisi, Fofana, Rougerie (capt), Joubert,
Murimurivalu, Russell, Parra, Debaty, Wepener, Zirakashvili,
Pierre, Privat, Cudmore, Bardy, Vermeulen. Subs:
Ledesma, Faure, Scelzo, Audebert, Lauaki, Senio, Canale,
Floch.
Referee: Nigel
Owens (Wales)
