English side Harlequins pulled off a stunning 15-10 win over Stade Francais here in their European Cup clash on Saturday to record their first win in five European meetings between the sides.
Harlequins scored two tries to Stade’s one — Tom Williams and Jordan Turner-Hall taking advantage of nervy play by Djibril Camara — while Juan Manuel Leguizamon scored for the hosts after a great offload by Brian Liebenberg.
It was the first defeat for Stade in Paris in the tournament after a run of 17 unbeaten.
PHOTO: AFP
Harlequins, who didn’t win a game in the tournament last season, lead Stade by three points in Pool Four with the French side needing to get a result next weekend in the return match in England.
England fly-half Toby Flood scored 23 points for Leicester including the first of his team’s four tries with center Aaron Mauger, number eight Jordan Crane and winger Matt Smith added further scores to secure the bonus point.
Ospreys stay second after romping to a record, 10-try, 68-8 home win over Treviso at the Liberty Stadium with Ireland wing Tommy Bowe scoring four tries.
Leinster’s 33-3 win in Pool Two came without a bonus point but still left them six points clear of second-placed Wasps, 25-16 winners over Edinburgh on Friday.
The home side’s outside-half Jonny Sexton got the scoreboard ticking with a penalty in the 13th minute, and added a second five minutes later.
Leinster, driven by impressive 21-year-old flanker Sean O’Brien, then took the game to Castres but the visitors, led by Kiwi fullback Cameron MacIntyre and former Australian center Steve Kefu, held out manfully in defense.
Sexton knocked over a third penalty just before the half-hour as Leinster began to dominate possession at a packed Donnybrook, but play became scrappy after home flanker Rocky Elsom was ruled to have knocked on over the line.
Bernard Jackman scored his first European try early in the second-half when Shane Horgan gathered his own chip and fed the hooker who stepped covering winger Salesi Sika for the line.
Anthony Lagadere, who missed a second-minute penalty, immediately pulled back three points for Castres, but that was soon negated by a fourth Sexton penalty.
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