Mathematically they still
have a chance of making it, but their next match is at home
to high-flying Clermont Auvergne and they have now lost four
of their last five league games as their season threatens to
end in abject failure. The fact the team currently blocking
their path in sixth place is Paris rivals Racing-Métro 92
has not eased the situation either.
Optimists point out they
also remain in the Heineken Cup, but an away quarter-final
at three-time champions Stade Toulousain – who trounced them
0-29 at the Stade de France recently – doesn’t suggest
further progress.
And yet confidence
abounded back in August, especially after an opening-day
22-22 away draw at Jonny Wilkinson’s Toulon. Highly regarded
Julien Dupuy was freshly arrived from Leicester Tigers,
while English trio James Haskell, Tom Palmer and Ollie
Phillips had also joined from across the Channel.
But here we are, seven
months later, with a season in tatters and a reputation
increasingly tarnished by mishaps and misadventures that
have proven costly.
The signings of Dupuy,
Benjamin Kayser and Haskell may have captured their
pre-season headlines, but perhaps it was the release of
Argentine playmaker Juan Martin Hernandez that began their
problems.
‘El Magico’ had been an
integral part of Stade’s championship-winning side of 2007
and had no desire to leave, before being unceremoniously
told he was no longer required. The truth of the matter is
that Stade were forced to cut their costs after agreeing a
£200,000 compensation fee to Leicester for Dupuy’s signature
– and Hernandez was the fall guy.
He left in an
understandable huff, packed his bags for a season in Durban
and will return to Paris this summer to sign for
Racing-Métro. Dupuy, meanwhile, went on to collect a 23-week
playing ban that effectively ended his season before
Christmas.
In many ways the
Dupuy-Hernandez saga encapsulates the problems Stade have
had all season, with the impetuosity of president Max
Guazzini also playing a significant role. His marketing
skills may be ‘par excellence’, but patience – another
crucial asset in team ownership – is not his forte.
He
may ultimately have finally made the wisest decision of a
troubled season by announcing the appointment of Cheika, a
widely respected Australian who has the added attribute of
being able to converse in French. But isn’t that where it
all began some months ago with Ewen McKenzie in charge? Time
will tell if Cheika is given a freer hand than McKenzie, and
for Stade’s sake one must hope that lessons have been
learned.
Timescale of a season in decline…
Aug 21, 2009: Stade
lose 38-24 away to Bayonne in their second league game of
the season.
Sept 02, 2009:
Stade lose 35-40 at home to lowly Montauban.
Sept 06, 2009:
Stade lose 30-22 away to Biarritz, leaving them with a
playing record of lost three, drawn one after four rounds of
Top 14.
Sept 08, 2009:
Stade sack Australian head coach Ewen McKenzie, with
Guazzini turning instead to former Biarritz coach Jacques
Delmas, with Didier Faugeron as his assistant.
Sept 11, 2009:
McKenzie admits there had been “a problem in the philosophy
between the club and myself”.
Sept 12, 2009:
Stade start life under Delmas with a 44-18 home win against
high-flying Castres, going on to register a six-match
unbeaten run under their new coaching structure.
Sept 26, 2009:
Stade gain an impressive 9-9 away draw at Stade Toulousain,
but pay a high cost after Italy captain Sergio Parisse
ruptures knee ligaments and is ruled out for at least six
months.
Oct 24, 2009: Stade
suffer their second ‘home’ defeat of the season, going down
14-20 to Perpignan at the Stade de France.
Nov 21, 2009: Stade
lose 20-18 to city rivals Racing-Metro 92 in Top 14.
Nov 28, 2009: Stade
suffer a third home defeat in Top 14 as Toulon travel to the
capital and win 22-18.
Dec 12, 2009: Stade
lose their first Heineken Cup match of the season, going
down 23-13 away to Ulster. More significantly both Julien
Dupuy and David Attoub are subsequently cited for
eye-gouging Ulster’s Stephen Ferris.
Dec 18, 2009: Dupuy
is banned for 24 weeks by ERC, subsequently reduced to 23
weeks on appeal.
Dec 30, 2009:
Stade’s season-long quest for an away league win in Top 14
continues as they crash 25-23 at Montpellier after a late
rally by the home side.
Jan 16, 2010:
Stade’s troubles continue as a scrum-half crisis forces them
to play Bath in the Heineken Cup with Scottish full-back
Hugo Southwell sporting the No 9 shirt due to the enforced
absences of Dupuy (suspended), Noel Oelschig (injured),
Charlie Davies (injured) and Benjamin Tardy (ineligible).
Jan 19, 2010:
Attoub is banned for a massive 70 weeks after his delayed
ERC hearing is finally convened. Attoub had contested the
validity of a photograph capturing the incident and
maintains his innocence to this day.
Jan 28, 2010: Stade
are well beaten by table-topping Castres as they lose on the
road again, this time 32-14.
March 05, 2010:
Guazzini accuses the RFU of holding flanker James Haskell
“hostage” by not allowing him to return to play against
Stade Toulousain when England have a free weekend.
March 06, 2010:
Stade are humiliated 0-29 at the Stade de France by Stade
Toulousain. Guazzini subsequently makes a public apology for
his team’s inept showing. It is their fourth home defeat of
the season.
March 13, 2010:
Stade lose again, this time 24-16 away to Brive as they
virtually kiss goodbye to any hopes of making the play-offs.
