Heineken Cup - Pool 4
Stade bounce back against Ulster
PA Sport
January 24, 2009
Date/Time: Jan 24, 2009, 14:35 local, 13:35 GMT
Venue: Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris
Stade Français 24 - 19 Ulster
Half-time: 6 - 8
Tries: Gasnier, Leguizamon
Cons: Beauxis
Pens: Beauxis 4
Tries: Brady, Steinmetz
Pens: O'Connor, Schifcofske 2
Stade Francais' Mathieu Bastareaud holds off Ulster's Simon Danielli, Stade Francais v Ulster, Heineken Cup, Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris, France, January 24, 2009
Stade Francais' Mathieu Bastareaud holds off the Scarlets' Simon Danielli
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Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup | Heineken Cup
Teams: France | Ireland

Ulster failed in their attempt to claim a first win on French soil, narrowly going down 24-19 to Stade Francais in a Heineken Cup dead rubber at the Stade Jean-Bouin.

With both teams' chances of qualifying for the tournament's quarter-finals from Pool Four already extinguished, only a second-placed finish in the group and a smidgen of pride was at stake. But Ulster, victorious against Harlequins last weekend, had been challenged by head coach Matt Williams to make another statement of intent ahead of next season's competition and they dominated the first half, going into the break 8-6 up thanks to Paul Steinmetz's try and Niall O'Connor's penalty.

But Stade woke from their torpor in the second half, Juan Manuel Leguizamon touching down and France fly-half Lionel Beauxis booting his third and fourth penalties to give the Parisian aristocrats the lead. Clinton Schifcofske landed his second penalty eight minutes from time to draw Ulster to within three points but Mark Gasnier's breakaway try clinched Stade the win, despite Nigel Brady's last-second consolation score. Beauxis finished with a 14-point haul for the afternoon.

Williams will be proud of his team, which included a number of youngsters as he had decided to rest most of his key first-teamers. Indeed, Ulster were camped in Stade's half for most of the first half, Scottish winger Simon Danielli and all three members of their mobile back row among their players making line breaks at will.

But their heavy pressure early on yielded only three points through a 15th-minute penalty from O'Connor, who missed efforts in the second and 23rd minutes. Stade, who were also playing a weakened team, had been non-existent until that point but finally found some momentum, the crowd woken up by a couple of thumping tackles by number eight Leguizamon.

Beauxis booted two simple penalties in the space of three minutes just before the half-hour mark to put the Parisians in front. But just before half-time - and with Stade captain Pierre Rabadan halfway through his 10-minute stint in the sin bin for persistent offending - more sustained pressure from the Irish side finally resulted in a try, O'Connor popping the ball up for Steinmetz to scurry over from 10 yards.

O'Connor failed to land a straightforward conversion but his side still went into the break with a slender but deserved lead. Schifcofske, taking over kicking duties from O'Connor, traded penalties with Beauxis early in the second half.

Stade, though, started to build up a head of steam and Leguizamon darted through a gap on the right, sold a dummy to Schifcofske and dived over for their first try. Beauxis missed the conversion but then landed a three-pointer just before the hour to put Stade 17-11 up.

The hosts by this time had drafted big guns Sergio Parisse and Dimitri Szarzewski off the bench and they were helping to turn the tide, while Ulster's youngsters were visibly beginning to tire. Schifcofske's 72nd-minute penalty ensured a nervy finish but the otherwise anonymous Gasnier skipped away for a try converted by Beauxis that sealed the win and second spot in the pool for Stade.

Nigel Brady rumbled over on the blind side of a well-worked lineout in the last seconds to grab a consolation for a game Ulster side.

Ulster head coach Matt Williams claimed his young team missed a great chance to claim a memorable scalp. "I must say how happy I am with the guys, in terms of effort and courage," said the Australian. "We came here with a plan to run the ball, and I thought our offloading and running in the first half was magnificent. We made break after break but we didn't take those chances and we missed our kicks. But I am loathe to criticise the players because they gave their all, and there is nothing left in that dressing room.

"We dominated the game and the better team lost, but at the end of the day the scoreboard says we lost. I always think we all give French teams a little too much respect when they play at home - I think you have to attack them over here and I was delighted with our style. It was magnificent," Williams added. "We've got a great crop of players, as I've said to everyone from day one. I was comfortable bringing in these players. I thought, for example, Ian Whitten was comfortably the best centre out there. I thought he had a magnificent game and overshadowed Gasnier by a considerable margin. His kicking game, how he entered the line, his offloading - that's the first time he's run on a senior field. He was phenomenal."

Stade and France hooker Dimitri Szarzewski was delighted to see his side bounce back to form. "Our priority was to win and we achieved our objective. "Last week, we didn't turn up (against the Scarlets), and we wanted to rediscover our fighting qualities and show something in front of our fans. "It was a good match, even if we weren't very good to tell the truth."

Stade Francais: Bousses, Camara, Bastareaud, Gasnier, Arias, Beauxis, Oelschig, Leguizamon, Rabadan, M Bergamasco, Taylor, Watchou, Montanella, Sempere, Marconnet.

Replacements: Jeanjean for Bousses (63), M Bergamasco for Arias (76), Albouy for Oelschig (47), Parisse for M Bergamasco (59), Attoub for Montanella (47), Szarzewski for Sempere (47). Not Used: Vigouroux.

Ulster: Schifcofske, Trimble, Steinmetz, Whitten, Danielli, O'Connor, Marshall, Young, Brady, Botha, O'Donoghue, Caldwell, McCullough, Pollock, Henry.

Replacements: McCrea for Danielli (76), Boss for Marshall (47), Court for Young (52), Philpott for Botha (73), Faloon for McCullough (71), Dawson for Henry (48). Not Used: Dewey.

Referee: W Barnes (England)

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