Heineken Cup: Stade Francais power on to
ninth successive win
18 October 2008
Three tries in nine
second-half minutes saw Stade Francais maintain their 100%
winning record this season with a crushing 37-15 victory
over Llanelli Scarlets in Pool 4 at the Stade Jean Bouin.
The runaway Top 14
leaders, who have now won nine consecutive games, were
restricted to penalties and speculative drop goals as they
struggled to assert their authority in the initial stages,
but they turned on the power after the interval as tries
from winger Julien Saubade and captain Sergio Parisse (2)
extended their lead from 9-8 to 30-8 in the blink of an eye.
Italian number eight
Parisse was a massive presence throughout and was only
denied a hat-trick when desperate defending stopped him just
inches short of the line on the hour mark.
Full-back Lionel Beauxis
was also in fine form, adding four second-half conversions
to his three first-half penalties to maintain his own 100%
record, in contrast to Juan Martin Hernandez who missed with
all three of his attempted drop goals.
Beauxis also had the
pleasure of securing Stade’s winning bonus point when he
charged down an attempted kick and ran in Paris’ fourth try
from the halfway line in the closing minutes, taking his
personal tally to 22 points in the process.
The Scarlets started
brightly, even scoring the game’s first try when Mark Jones
sped in after 19 minutes, and their refusal to cave in was
later rewarded when replacement Ceiron Thomas touched down
five minutes from the end. But in truth they were never in
this contest once Stade had stretched their legs after the
interval and a second successive defeat leaves them
contemplating an early exit from this year’s Heineken Cup.
Meanwhile, Toulouse coach Guy Noves praised
Glasgow Warriors after Friday’s 22-16 win but said a
half-time reorganisation proved crucial for last year’s
Heineken Cup runners-up.
“I had to tell my players
to focus, stick together and try to move the ball more,” he
admitted after the game. “By magic we found ourselves in a
10 minute period and then had the chance to go for the bonus
point.
“But Glasgow didn’t give
up and we couldn’t score again. They got a breakaway try and
we were hanging on at the end. But we have won our first two
games and I am happy with that.”
Toulouse captain Yannick
Jauzion, who scored a second-half try, was also content with
the outcome after a slow start from the visitors at Firhill
Park.
"We came with the
intention of winning and going for the bonus point, but
unfortunately we couldn't get the four tires. Maybe we will
play better in the future," he said.
|
