Chance to shine: Stade Francais' James Haskell Photo: Michael Paler

Stade Francais’ recent revival will be tested to the limit over coming weeks following a triple injury blow that will leave them without Brian Liebenberg, Pedro Ledesma and Mauro Bergamasco.

Liebenberg’s injury is so serious that he could miss the rest of the season after scans revealed he ruptured knee ligaments during the club’s 9-9 away draw at Stade Toulousain on Saturday.

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Incredibly, the South African born French international played 75 minutes of that encounter before complaining of a ‘slight’ pain in his knee. But now the 12-times capped centre is facing a six to eight month spell on the sidelines as he recovers from corrective surgery.

Stade’s coaching duo Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron are now scrambling around trying to sign a ‘medical joker’ as cover for the 30-year-old – a task that has taken on added urgency with Friday’s visit of Brive preceding the opening two rounds of this season’s Heineken Cup. Stade Francais open this season's European campaign with a home match against Edinburgh in Pool 4 on October 10th, before travelling to Bath a week later as they seek to make amends for last year's early exit.

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And, as if losing Liebenberg wasn’t bad enough, Delmas and Faugeron will also have to come to terms with the combined absence of Ledesma and Bergamasco

Argentine prop Ledesma has already gone under the surgeon’s knife for a torn bicep, and is expected to be out for three months, while Italian international Bergamasco has a fractured metatarsal bone in his right foot and has been ordered to rest for eight weeks.

Stade's England flanker James Haskell, meanwhile, is hoping to use Europe's premier club competition as a springboard to reclaiming his England shirt.

The former London Wasps star has been in impressive form for the Paris club since his summer move across the Channel and admitted the Heineken Cup was "a massively important tournament for me".

Haskell told ercrugby.com: "Every week we play massive games in France. Last week 46,000 watched us against Toulouse. But playing against English sides - against players I'm vying for international selection - is very important to me."

He went on: "When I came here I'd been dropped by England, I'd missed out on the Lions tour and my Wasps place was rickety. I came here for a change and to become a new man. I'm loving it and I'm playing good rugby. The reason I came out here was that I wanted to let my rugby do the talking, which it is, not least because my French is pretty terrible. I'd be disappointed if I get to the end of the season without playing for England."

The Paris public is certainly gearing up for this season's campaign with tickets selling fast for Stade's opening game - being held at Stade de France, which is also the venue for this year's final.

Stuttering Stade Toulousain have also begun to focus on the upcoming Heineken Cup with international full-back Clément Poitrenaud eyeing revenge against pool 5 rivals Cardiff Blues.

Toulouse were knocked out in the quarter-final stages last season by the Welsh side and Poitrenaud claimed the three-time champions had learned valuable lessons from that defeat.

“The Blues will play the same, and attack from everywhere on the field because they have a lot of dangerous players,” Poitrenaud told the South Wales Echo. “We know this team well and we know Leigh Halfpenny and Tom James after last season’s game.

“We hadn’t seen them play before last season’s game. We know this game will be very tough for us. Last year we lost to them and Welsh rugby has improved a lot in recent seasons and the Blues now have a lot of international players in their squad.

“They are a confident side and they believe they can now beat any side on their day in Europe. They have experience and real self-belief from what they did last season.”

The 27-year-old also played down Toulouse’s indifferent start to the season and vowed that the club would remain true to their running principles despite the current trend for kick and chase rugby.

“We are confident in how we want to play and we will never compromise that,” he stressed. “Our philosophy hasn’t changed and we won’t change it because every other side has changed their approach,” added Poitrenaud.

“Sometimes we have lost finals because we have played too much rugby, but we have also won finals because we have kept to our own principles,” he reasoned.

Toulouse begin their quest for a fourth Heineken Cup with a home match against Sale Sharks followed by a trip to Harlequins. Their eagerly anticipated clashes with Cardiff take place on December 12th (in Toulouse) and December 19th (in Cardiff).

Meanwhile, French-based players have been offering Welsh fly-half James Hook advice about a possible move to Top 14.

Clermont Auvergne are just one of several clubs reportedly interested in the disaffected Ospreys star, but captain Aurélien Rougerie sounded words of warning to Hook as he ponders his next move.

“The French championship is very hard and physical,” the French international told the Western Mail. “It is a long season in France and you have to be ready for that. I don’t know if James Hook is coming next season but it will be very different for him,” added Rougerie.

Stade Francais’ English flanker Haskell was more positive though, believing Hook’s style of play would suit the Top 14. “They like to keep the ball alive and it is a real emphasis over here. The big sides can be very physical but somebody of James’ ability, and with his footwork and ability to find space, would be a big success,” he said.