Stade Francais

“What rugby clubs are looking for these days, is a team full of Gavin Hastings clones. It’s not the game I played.”

There were wins for Cardiff Blues, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester and Stade Francais as the second round of European Rugby Challenge Cup fixtures drew to a close today.

Wasps drew first blood in the race to complete next season's European Champions Cup line-up when Andy Goode landed the match-winning penalty in the final act of dramatic play-off at Adams Park.

Dai Young admits Wasps must win their European Rugby Champions Cup play-off the hard way after being drawn to take on Stade Francais in Paris in the second leg.

London Scottish have pulled off a major coup this week, securing the services of Stade Francais youngster Peter Lydon on a one-year contract.

Nick Evans scored 17 points to guide Harlequins to a 29-6 victory over Stade Francais that put the English side into the semi-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

With the cold snap across France waning, the 18th round of the Top 14 sees a full complement of fixtures as the battle for the play-offs and relegation heats up.

Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne and Toulon edged closer towards confirming their play-off status with victories as the 17th round of the Top 14 was affected by the cold snap that saw the France versus Ireland match postponed this weekend.

Clermont Auvergne kept up the pressure on leaders Toulouse as both sides secured away victories in the sixteenth round of the French Top 14.

The French Top 14 returns this weekend after mixed results in European competitions for its sides.

With Phillipe Saint-André having announced his Six Nations squad on Thursday, the 30 men selected will be out to prove themselves worthy of making France's starting XV against Italy in one month's time.

The curtain fell on 2011 with Toulouse extending their lead at the top of the Top 14 table, after Clermont Auvergne were held up at Lyon. Elsewhere there were surprise victories for Bordeaux-Bègles and Biarritz.