Stade Francais owner Max Guazzini had sacked head coach Ewen McKenzie and assistant Christophe Dominici after just five games of the new Top 14 season.

The Paris club has managed a single win and three defeats in that time, going down 30-22 at Biarritz on Sunday after crumbling 35-40 at home to Montauban in midweek.

The latest defeat left them second bottom of the league - in the relegation zone - but Guazzini's decision still appears somewhat hasty after such a small number of games.

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Stade had opened with a creditable draw away to Toulon (22-22) but since then their only victory had been at home to Montpellier (43-26). But even in that game it required a lat recovery to avoid defeat, and the Parisians are currently nursing the worst defensive record in the division (156 points).

They also, however, have the best attacking record (146 points), but Guazzini's patience has clearly run out after another summer of high expenditure - including the capture of England trio James Haskell, Tom Palmer and Ollie Phillips.

Their poor start follows a below par season last time out, when they continually fell short against France's other 'Big Four' - namely Stade Toulousain, Clermont Auvergne and Perpignan. They were also knocked out of the Heineken Cup in the group stages.

Now Guazzini has turned to Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron, although he will have to pay for his decision as McKenzie had been under contract until June 2010.