Despite a more than complicated start to the match where the Parisians saw Northampton quickly take the lead, this Stade Français woke up at the best of times. After limiting the damage in the first act, Yoan Tanga and his teammates moved forward to win (45-35) with the added bonus of an offensive bonus and eight tries scored. A valuable success for Laurent Labit’s men who have had little success in recent times.
Weekends go by, and they look the same in the capital. Defeated seven times in the last ten meetings in all competitionsParis no longer had the right to make mistakes when receiving Northampton, as part of this 3e Champions Cup day. Only 8e Premiership, the Saints, for their part, made a great start in the premier competitions with two improved victories in as many matches.
For this Franco-English clash, Stade Français made a strong and daring choice by densifying its bench, notably with the presence of several usual starters like Macalou, Weber and Marchant. The strategy paid off. Trailing by 21 points after a hellish start to the match, Paris made an incredible comeback, thanks to a bunch of forwards on fire, to win with the offensive bonus against Northampton (45-35). The Saints also validated a point thanks to five tries scored.
Thanks to this success, Paris temporarily rises to 4e place (5 points). The Saints are guaranteed to remain in first place in the group at the end of this 3e day (1is11 points). The Ile-de-France residents will play their qualification, in a week, on the Bulls pitch.
A first period with two faces
In a lively first act, each team had its highlight. True to its reputation, Northampton sent the game everywhere from the start of this game. Paris, caught by the throat, suffered a big blow by offering recovery balloons to visitors. During a touch at the median, Briatte fumbled Nicotera’s throw. Litchfield was placed in a space in the center of the field. He served as his exterior Freeman. The winger was caught two meters from the goal. Two actions later, in force, Lockett concluded this counterattack (0-7, 12e).
At the end of the first quarter of an hour, Henry Pollock, announced as the pearl of English rugby, lived up to his flattering reputation. At the start, Van der Mescht had his skin torn off in the Saints camp. Quickly, the Mitchell gang made the windshield wiper by hitting the corridors. Overwhelmed, the Parisians, at the end of the wing, were unable to resist the power of the third line (0-14, 16e). On the ropes, Paris gave in once again. At the middle, Jonas collected a candle from Mitchell. But, lacking support, the rear fell into the clutches of Pollock. The person concerned helped himself before planting a third banderilla (0-21, 18e).
To tell the truth, we no longer paid that much for the skin of this Stade Français. And yet… The Ile-de-France residents put things back in order by being sovereign in conquest and stealing several enemy munitions in the area of the sidelines. Labit’s protégés were especially able to count on fit executives like Peniasi Dakuwaqa. The Fijian came to offer himself in the center of the field to advance the start of an action. In the relay, the forwards tightened the defense around the rucks. Well served, a few minutes of play later, “Daku”, thanks to his power and his support, restarted the game (5-21, 24e). Five minutes later, Van der Mescht, guilty of Pollock’s first try, made up for his mistake. The second row blocked a kick from the opener Hutchinson before slipping between the posts (12-21, 31e). Confidence then changed sides.
Four minutes after the siren, the Pink Soldiers insisted on their house specialty. At the end of a dynamic maul, during a throw-in from five meters away, Tanga concluded the collective effort. At the break, the suspense was complete (19-21, 40e+4).
Gabrillagues and Briatte as guides, decisive Tanga
Returning from the locker room, the two teams continued to fight blow for blow. Around Pollock, the Saints found the solution. Well served by the third center line, Walker passed under the Parisian defenders and placed the leather on the line (19-28, 44e). Paris had no doubts and relied on a new maul. Guilty of having collapsed the building, Mitchell received a double penalty with a penalty try and a warning (26-28, 48e).
With numerical superiority, Stade Français stepped on the accelerator to definitively turn this game around. Behind a dynamic carried maul, Weber attacked the closed side. He fooled Pollock’s vigilance. In two movements, the ball arrived in Macalou’s hands. The entrant set and served Delbouis in an interval. The center played two against one with Ezeala for a winning shot (31-28, 54e). Macalou, very prominent in this clash, launched a new charge in the axis for around twenty meters. In support and strength, Tanga scored a double and thus responded to Pollock (38-28, 58e).
Northampton, overwhelmed by the fury of the Ile-de-France region, was never able to raise its head. Worse, they even lost their minds like Kemeny. The captain, guilty of a shoulder tackle on Henry, was warned. During the penalty, Gabrillagues, leader of the sling with Briatte, went for his try on a carried maul (45-28, 70e). At the end of the game, Langdon’s achievement, behind a carried maul, was anecdotal (45-35, 78e).
In a week, Paris will have to win at the Bulls to qualify for the round of 16. Northampton will host Munster with the hope of retaining top spot in Pool 3.
