 | HEINEKEN CUP POOL THREE Stade 12 (3)
Pens: Fillol 4 Leicester 3 (3)
Pens: Goode 2 |
Stade Francais kept their hopes of emerging from a tough Heineken Cup pool alive with a hard-earned victory over Leicester in Paris. Scrum-half Jerome Fillol recovered from two awful early misses to punish the Tigers with four penalties.
The score was deadlocked at 3-3 after a feisty first half, Andy Goode landing Leicester's only points with a penalty.
The fly-half notched a second with 10 minutes left to give the Tigers what could prove a crucial bonus point.
Stade Francais were missing a number of big names and it showed as they made a nervous start.
With their normal kicker absent Fillol was forced into action and he was woefully inaccurate with his first two efforts.
He finally found the target after 23 minutes but Goode hit back for the Tigers a minute before the break as an attritional first half ended 3-3.
After the interval the Stade Francais pack began to get on top and three successful Fillol kicks saw the hosts leading 12-3 with 10 minutes to play.
Goode landed his second penalty to get Leicester back within six points before the visitors launched a late assault which nearly brought them victory.
They had to do it with 14 men after lock Ben Kay - on as a replacement - foolishly infringed at a ruck to earn his second yellow card in successive games.
That appeared to have extinguished the Tigers' hopes of stealing victory late on, only for Geordan Murphy's break-out to reignite their ambitions.
Murphy sliced through the hosts' line but had no support outside, and when Leicester were awarded the put-in at an attacking scrum they were shoved off the ball by a powerful Stade Francais drive.
Leicester rallied for one final fling, but when Martin Corry ran into a team-mate two yards out as he tried to power over the hosts' line, the game was up.
Leicester captain Martin Corry:
"We set our stall out to get nine points from our first two games, and we are walking away with six, which means we haven't reached our standards and that is a frustrating thing. "We need an away win from somewhere to qualify and this opportunity has passed us by. Everyone is very disappointed.
"We set ourselves incredibly high standards, but we think they are attainable and when we don't hit them it hurts like hell, but the good thing is it does hurt like hell."
Furious Leicester flanker Lewis Moody claimed he had been gouged in the eye.
"I got a couple of cheap shots but gouging does tend to send me slightly loopy. I struggle to keep my head if I get gouged," said the England flanker.
Stade Francais coach Fabie Galthie:
"Leicester played well but I never felt we would lose the match."
Stade Francais: Martin Hernandez; Borges, Messina, Liebenberg, Mi Bergamasco; Penaud, Fillol; Roncero, Szarzewski, De Villiers; Marchois, M James; Parisse, Martin, Sowerby.
Replacements: Blin for Szarzewski (75), Rabadan for Marchois (80).
Not Used: Montes, M. Bergamasco, Pichot, Saubade, Lacroix.
Leicester: Murphy; A Tuilagi, Smith, Gibson, Varndell; Goode, Ellis; Moreno, Chuter, Morris; Cullen, Hamilton; Moody, Jennings, Corry.
Replacements: Hipkiss for Gibson (58), Healey for Ellis (61), Kay for Hamilton (50), Johnson for Corry (31).
Not Used: Buckland, Holford, Broadfoot.
Sin Bin: Kay (79).
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