Yves Donguy attempts to break the Stade defence
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Matches: Toulouse 9 - 9 Stade Français

Tournaments/Tours: French Top 14

Teams: Stade Français | Toulouse

Top 14 heavyweights Toulouse and Stade Francais played out a dour game of cat and mouse to draw 9-9 at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

With Perpignan defeating Clermont Auvergne earlier on Saturday there was a prime opportunity for both sides to press their early semi-final claims, but they were unable to do so as the boot dominated proceedings.

Lionel Beauxis, on his return to the starting XV, kicked three drop-goals for Stade while Frederic Michalak and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde shared the points for the home side.

Toulouse were boosted by the return of Maxime Medard at fullback, allowing Cedric Heymans to return to his regular berth out wide alongside Yves Donguy. Byron Kelleher returned on the bench after a brush with the authorities, Elissalde starting in the No. 9 shirt with Michalak pulling the strings at fly-half.

Following their comfortable victory over Bayonne last time out new Stade coaches Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron chose to shake up their halfback partnership, with Beauxis slotting in at fly-half in place of the versatile Noel Oelschig and Julien Dupuy retaining the No.9 jersey. England flanker James Haskell also dropped out, with Mauro Bergamasco starting at blindside.

Beauxis opened the scoring with his first drop-goal, as Toulouse suffered an early blow with prop Jean-Baptiste Poux seeing yellow inside the first ten minutes. Michalak nevertheless levelled the scores with a penalty, and the sides were locked together until Beauxis slotted his second drop-goal before the half-hour.

Michalak was on hand to level minutes later as Toulouse's try drought ticked through another 40 minutes. Coach Guy Noves has seen his side click only once this season, with a rout of Brive, and will have again been unimpressed with his backline's lack of cutting edge.

Elissalde took over second-half kicking duties, edging Toulouse ahead for the first time but Beauxis' third drop-goal soon saw the sides level once again.

Scoring chances were at a premium throughout and both sides will need to improve vastly in the finishing department in the coming weeks, with European competition beckoning and Perpignan taking on some ominous form.