PREVIEW: Stade tackle Toulouse in Top 14 showstopper

Saturday 22 April

Stade Francais 2/9 | Draw 28/1 |Toulouse 3/1

Stade enjoyed a solid return to domestic action, bouncing back from their disappointing Round of 16 Challenge Cup exit at the hands of the Golden Lions with a solid 22-27 away win over a gutsy Brive outfit.

The Parisians had a tough time of it in the opening 20-minutes and were down 14-0 before a try against the run of play from eighth man Sekou Maclou brought them right back into the game. A double from winger Peinaisi Dakuwaqa, whose tries came just before half-time and just after, saw them storm into the lead, and while Brive would hit back with a late try of their own, Stade would still secure the win.

Like Stade, Toulouse also put in a solid showing on their domestic return, beating Lyon 36-21.Like Stade, Toulouse were down by 14 points with just over 20 minutes played and hit back with two tries and two penalties to go into the break 20-17 to the good. scoring a further 16 points while Lyon only added seven points to their score.

The ladder-leaders have been in impeccable form of late beating the Bulls and Sharks by big margins before beating Lyon last weekend.

Toulouse are a good bet here for an away win.