Top 14: Biarritz win in Paris to claim pole position for Heineken Cup qualification

Stade Francais 12 (12) Biarritz 16 (13)

In-form Biarritz took another huge step towards Heineken Cup qualification as they beat Stade Francais 16-12 in Paris on Sunday evening.

The victory was Biarritz’s fifth on the trot - and their ninth in 11 league games – and lifted them back above Brive into fifth position. They now entertain Montauban at home next week knowing that any win will be enough to guarantee Heineken rugby next season as they are now two points ahead of Brive – who travel to Bourgoin.

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This latest win also helped the Basques avenge their 32-13 home defeat by Stade Francais back in November, while condemning their hosts to a fourth defeat in six matches, and their third home reverse of the season.

Scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili, so influential of late, enjoyed another fine game for the visitors, landing the first of four successful kicks to give Biarritz a 3-0 lead in the fourth minute.

His opposite number Fallie Oelschig – playing in place of the injured Agustin Pichot – was also on kicking duty, and his sixth-minute response brought the scores level in a tight opening at the Stade Jean Bouin.

Argentine fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez added an opportunistic 40m drop-goal to ease the hosts in front for the first time after 12 minutes, but Yachvili replied in kind shortly after to ensure further parity.

The referee’s whistle continued to dominate as both sides conceded a plethora of penalties, and Oelschig’s second successful kick left Stade 9-6 up after 20 minutes.

But then came the game’s turning point, with Yachvili’s 60m-break paving the way for Damien Traille – playing at fly-half – to touch down for the only try of the evening. Yachvili added the extras to leave Biarritz 13-9 ahead, only for Oeslchig’s third first-half penalty to narrow the gap to a solitary point at the interval.

Traille attempted to haul the visitors further ahead after the break but he missed with a drop-goal and a 55m penalty before Yachvili finally eased their nerves with a straightforward kick on the hour mark.

Stade Francais threw everything they could at Biarritz in the closing 20 minutes, with centre Mathieu Bastareaud proving a handful to contain, but their defence remained rock solid in a throwback to their 2007 Championship form.

Hernandez missed with a 40m effort after 66 minutes and that was as close as Stade came to closing the gap.

All that remained was for veteran centre Stephane Glas (36) to bid adieu to the home support as he walked off the Stade Jean Bouin for the last time in his playing career, but it was scant consolation for the Paris side as they once more failed to impress on the big stage.

Their habit of losing the big games this season does not bode well for the play-offs – not that Biarritz will give a stuff about that. They have turned around a once-troubled season with impressive aplomb, and now stand on the cusp of Heineken Cup qualification, which seemed unthinkable after eight successive defeats back in January.

A home win against Montauban next week will seal a terrific second-half to the season for Les Biarrots, who can now plan ahead with renewed confidence for their 2009/10 campaign.