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Match-winner: Ollie Phillips races in for the decisive try
against Bath at the Recreational Ground on Sunday
Photo: Michael Paler |
England sevens captain
Ollie Phillips scored a late try as Stade Francais rallied from 24-12
to win 27-29 in Pool 4.
The former Newcastle
winger beat Nick Abendanon on the outside in the 75th-minute as the
Parisians capped an excellent fightback.
Scrum-half Julien Dupuy
missed the ensuing conversion, leaving Stade still a point adrift, but then
kicked his seventh successful penalty in the final minute as Bath paid the
ultimate price for their ill-discipline.
Heineken Cup Pools & Fixtures
They must be sick of the
sight of Dupuy as it was the international scrum-half who ended their
Heineken Cup ambitions last season when he kicked former club Leicester
Tigers to victory.
Today's defeat could
have similar consequence with Bath now right up against it to try and
qualify from Pool 2.
But that won't concern
Stade after they showed superb spirit to overcome their hosts and record a
crucial away win. The victory also maintained their six-match unbeaten run
under new coaches Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron, leaving Bath's Steve
Meehan to rue his side's second-half decision making against the club where
he was formerly assistant coach.
Meehan will be
especially disappointed as his team had seemed in control at the interval as
they led 21-12 thanks to first-half tries from Nicky Little and Matt
Carraro. Little also added a conversion and three penalties.
At that point Stade were
only being kept in the game by Dupuy's boot, but the Parisians gradually
cranked up the pressure after the break and continually chipped away at the
lead until Phillip's late score and Dupuy's final penalty.
Earlier, Clermont
Auvergne narrowly missed out on what would have been an even more
remarkable win as they went down 25-24 away to the Ospreys.
The home side appeared
in total control at half-time as they ran in three tries - through Tommy
Bowe, Ryan Jones and Barry Davies - to lead 22-3, but Clermont bounced back
in style after the restart as they claimed three of their own tries in a
breathtaking 11-minute spell.
Winger Benoit Baby began
the fightback when he touched down in the opening minute of the second-half,
with substitute prop Thomas Domingo following up with try number two eight
minutes later, and just two minutes after coming on for Lionel Faure.
Fly-half Brock James
kicked both conversions and was on the money again shortly after when
Alexandre Lapandry piled over, despite claims of a forward pass in the build
up.
Suddenly Clermont were
22-25 ahead and on course for a stunning away win, only for Dan Biggar's
63rd-minute penalty to steal it back for the home side. James did have a
late opportunity to do likewise for the visitors, but sadly for Vern
Cotter's team his 40m effort struck a post and rebounded out, leaving the
French side to settle for a defensive bonus point.
The Ospreys, meanwhile,
breathed a huge sigh of relief after coming within a whisker of repeating
last weekend's second-half collapse against Leicester.
On Saturday, three-time European
champions Stade Toulousain fought from 0-14 down to win 23-19 at
Harlequins, and continue their excellent start in Pool 5.
The French giants looked
lethargic and strangely off the pace as they were continually hustled into
errors by Quins in the opening period, with England winger Ugo Monye
touching down for a try (on 28 minutes) and fly-half Nick Evans kicking
three penalties.
Stade full-back Maxime
Médard experienced a particularly torrid first half, but was integral to the
visitors' recovery and played a key role in their first try, just four
minutes after the restart. The young international got a favourable bounce
from an upfield kick, paving the way for winger Yves Donguy to crash through
for his third try of this year's tournament. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde kicked
the extras, and was on target again just three minutes later after No 8
Shaun Sowerby piled over from the back of a ruck following yet more chaos
from another high ball.
Heineken Cup Pools & Fixtures
In the blink of an eye
Stade were back on level terms, but Quins dug deep and regained the lead
when the impressive Monye again showed his pace to race on to Mike Brown's
grubber kick and touch down in the corner for his second score of the match.
Evans failed with his
touchline conversion and Stade's European nous then came to the fore as they
ground out a series of penalties through dogged forward play and sharp
off-loading. Elissalde narrowed the gap before his replacement Frédéric
Michalak added three more points to see the visitors take the lead for the
first time in the match (on 63 minutes).
Quins pushed for a reply
as time ticked down but Michalak spurned a kickable penalty before crashing
the crossbar with an opportunistic long-range penalty. With the final
whistle approaching centre Florian Fritz then landed the knockout blow with
a 40m kick that sealed the win - and with it Stade's dominance in Pool 5.
Quins, on the other hand, now look rank outsiders after losing their opening
two games.
| Friday 16/10/09 |
| Perpignan 29
Northampton Saints 13 (Pool 1) |
| Saturday 17/10/09 |
| Biarritz 42 Gloucester
15 (Pool 2) |
| Brive 13 Leinster 36 (Pool 6) |
| Harlequins 19 Stade Toulousain
23 (Pool 5) |
| Sunday 18/10/09 |
| Ospreys 25 Clermont Auvergne
24 (Pool 3) |
| Bath Rugby 27 Stade Francais
29 (Pool 4) |
In-form Biarritz
also made it two wins from two as they demolished Gloucester with a five-try
display at the Parcs des Sports Aguilera, with American speedster Takudzwa
Ngwenya running in a superb hat-trick.
The Eagles’ flyer turned
on the burners for try number one as he left James Simpson-Daniel and Tom
Voyce sprawling, executed a perfect chip-and-chase for his second and
completed his hat-trick after his speed forced a defensive error and paved
the way for Damien Traille to feed him for a simple run in.
He was only denied a
fourth by an earlier forward pass, but English centre Ayoola Erinle and
replacement fly-half Valentin Courrent both scored late on to confirm
Biarritz's domination.
The visitors did manage
two tries of their own - through Voyce and Jake Boer - but in truth they
were outclassed once Biarritz had overcome a turgid opening to find their
attacking flair. Dimitri Yachvili's three first-half penalties put them 9-3
up after 27 minutes, but once Ngwenya had opened his try account (on 35
minutes) it was pretty much one-way traffic.
The American grabbed his
second just before half-time - leaving Biarritz 21-3 ahead - and duly
completed his hat-trick 10 minutes into the second period.
The win leaves the
Basques in total command of Pool 2 and means they have now racked up seven
successive wins in all competitions, riches that struggling Brive can
only dream of following the Limousin club's latest reverse - a 13-36 home
trouncing by defending champions Leinster.
The result means Brive remain pointless after two
matches on their return to Heineken Cup rugby and now staring at early
elimination from the competition they fought so hard to qualify for last
season.
It also continued their
worrying recent form, with Saturday's defeat their fifth in six matches and
their the seventh overall so far this season.
For Leinster, however, it was just the sort of response they
were looking for as they got their Heineken Cup defence back on track
with a convincing away win at the Stade Amédée Domenech.
The Irish province were good value for their victory as they
dominated up front and posed a far greater threat with their potent backs as
they continued to move the ball quickly throughout.
Their only disappointment would have been missing out on a
possible bonus point as they spurned several second-half chances to score
tries. As it was they had to settle for just the three tries thanks to Rob
Kearney’s 14th-minute effort and a late brace from replacement
lock Kevin McLaughlin.
In-between fly-half Jonny Sexton landed five penalties with
an impeccable kicking display that ensured the defending champions were
always ahead once they had overhauled Andy Goode’s second-minute penalty.
The home side battled gamely but never really challenged
Leinster’s superiority as they continually gave away needless penalties. But
that’s what pressure can do, and Brive’s current poor form again undermined
their game plan, even when Leinster were temporarily reduced to 14 men by
Isa Nacewa’s harsh yellow card for a high tackle in the 48th
minute.
Craig Short tried his best for the hosts with a sterling
line-out effort from the former Northampton lock, but too often Brive’s
players found themselves isolated as they strove to break through.
Another Short take was key to their only success when Gerhard
Vosloo eventually dived over from close in on 64 minutes, but Leinster’s
response was immediate and clinical with McLaughlin powering over for his
first try less than two minutes later following a good break from Fijian
wing Nacewa. McLaughlin went over again in the final minute to seal the win
after further forward domination, leaving Brive with a mountainous task now
if they are to qualify from 6.
Their only consolation was Scarlets'
surprising 27-25 away win at London Irish, a result which cemented the home
side's excellent start but simultaneously threw open the fight for second
spot.
On Friday, French champions
Perpignan began their Heineken Cup rescue mission with a 29-13 home win
against Northampton Saints in Pool 1.
The Catalans have
serious ground to make up after slumping to a
shock 9-8 defeat in Italy last weekend, but
at least got back to winning ways with Friday evening’s victory.
Full-back Jérôme Porical
kicked 19 points to ensure the win, with Perpignan centre David Marty also
grabbing a try (a minute before half-time) to add to the home side’s earlier
penalty try (in the 17th minute).
The win was not without
blemish, however, as tries either side of half-time from Chris Ashton and
Brian Mujati gave the visitors hope of a priceless bonus point. But
Porical’s boot put paid to that, with Saints continually punished as he
landed five penalties in addition to his two conversions.
Saints coach Jim
Mallinder conceded Perpignan were the better side. “We know where we stand.
Perpignan are one of the best sides in Europe, particularly at home. You
have got to play at your real best to win out here, and we didn’t do that.
We didn’t play to the best of our ability and deserved to come second best.”
Indeed, Perpignan have
now gone 16 matches unbeaten at the Stade Aimé Giral, a run stretching back
seven years at their imposing home ground. But they know they will also have
to win away after their shock defeat to Benetton Treviso in round one, as
well as trying to pick up as many attacking bonus points as they can along
the way.