The transformation has been as startling as a 'Dieux de Stade' calendar, and England sevens captain Ollie Phillips is relishing the turnaround. When flamboyant president Max Guazzini finally called time on Ewen McKenzie’s reign Stade Francais were languishing in Top 14’s relegation zone on the back of just one win in their opening five games. Their defence was about as effective as a chocolate teapot and rumours of squad splits were rife.

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Yet here we are just four games later and Stade are now up into the play-off zone courtesy of three bonus-point home wins and a highly creditable 9-9 away draw at Stade Toulousain. The feel-good factor is back, thanks to the input of new coaching duo Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron, and optimism once more abounds.

“It wasn’t great to see Ewen and ‘Domi’ go, it’s never nice to see people lose their jobs, so it was disappointing. But that’s French rugby,” Phillips told frenchrugbyclub.com. “Stade Francais is a massive club and they demand massive results, so that was what was deemed necessary. And it’s been effective from that perspective because we’re winning games and the mood and general confidence around the club is a good one. That’s what our sport is all about, winning rugby matches.”

And how. The men in pink stopped the rot with a resounding 44-18 home win against Castres – who were unbeaten up to then – before dispatching Bourgoin 20-6 and then hammering Brive 44-16. In-between was the 9-9 draw at Toulouse, which was arguably the best result of the lot.

Unbelievable atmosphere

“We could even have sneaked the win at the end, which would have made it even better, although maybe a draw was fair result at the end of the day, and we were ecstatic to come away from Toulouse – a rugby hotbed – with the draw,” conceded Phillips. “That was a massive result for us and to be involved in that atmosphere was unbelievable. There were 40-45,000 people and I just think the French club rugby environment is something different to anything I have ever experienced.

“It’s not quite a Test match environment, but it’s pretty close. The noise and the atmosphere – I just think it’s a brilliant spectacle,” said the 27-year-old winger. It’s something he’s becoming used to, although he insists he will never take it for granted.

“Every week we play away we seem to play in front of a massive audience. It’s just a great thing to be a part of, and we were really pleased to come away from Toulouse with that draw,” he added.

Last weekend they followed up with their five-try humbling of Brive, with Antonie Claassen's late consolation for the visitors being the first they had conceded since the Delmas-Faugeron era began.

“That was the whole crux of our problems,” admits Phillips. “We were leaking too many tries and that was costing us. Now we’ve managed to shore up but we’re still scoring tries ourselves, which is why we’re picking up bonus points.”

Confidence is now oozing through Stade’s star-studded squad and the looming Heineken Cup games [Edinburgh at home followed by Bath away] are something to be relished rather than feared. Twice Stade have made the final, but on both occasions they lost out, going down to Leicester Tigers in 2001 and Stade Toulousain in 2005. It is a record that needs correcting if they genuinely want to be considered a European ‘great’, and with this season’s final being held at Paris’s Stade de France they have double incentive to triumph.

'I want to win the Heineken Cup'

“Recent results have been great and that’s what I came here for,” enthuses Phillips. “I wanted to play for a club that was ambitious, that wanted to win things – that wanted to go on and win the Heineken Cup and Top 14. I wanted to play in big-match environments and come away with good results, and thankfully we’ve started to do that now, and that’s great.

“The Heineken Cup is going to be brilliant, and for me it was one of the other reasons I came here, because I hadn’t really had the opportunity to play in it because Newcastle [his former club] only ever featured in it once during my tenure there. So it is hugely exciting for me, especially playing for a club that can potentially win it. To be involved in it with Stade Francais is just a different perspective. We’re a side that going into this Heineken Cup wanting to win it.”

But Phillips cautions against over optimism and says Stade have done their homework on opponents they full respect.

“It’s going to be enormous. We’re desperate to win it, and Max [Guazzini] as well, and from this club’s perspective we’re in the winning business, which is great to be involved with. We believe we can go ahead and do that, but we’re not about to start disrespecting other sides because they are some quality opposition.