Harlequins stun Stade with 15-10 victory
English side Harlequins pulled off a stunning 15-10 win over Stade Francais here in their European Cup rugby 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.
Harlequins 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.
Former double champions Leicester stayed top of Pool Three with a 38-27 win over Perpignan at Welford Road where All Blacks superstar Dan Carter, who will make his debut next week for the French side in the return clash, watched from the stands.
England fly-half Toby Flood scored 23 points for Leicester including the first of his team's four tries with centre Aaron Mauger, number eight Jordan Crane and winger Matt Smith added further scores to secure the bonus point.
Perpignan had a breakaway try from centre Maxime Mermoz and an opportunist effort from flanker Ovidiu Tonita.
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.
Three-time champions Toulouse and Irish giants Leinster also took big steps towards qualifying for the knock-out round with wins over Newport-Gwent Dragons and Castres respectively.
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 centre Steve Kefu, held out manfully in defence.
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.
Castres' replacement hooker Yannick Forestier was sinbinned with 15 minutes remaining and the home side made them pay, Brian O'Driscoll played in at the corner for a try which David Holwell converted.
Despite Steve Malonga giving an outstanding defensive display for Castres, Simon Keogh then crossed for Leinster's third try after good hands from prop Stan Wright, Jackman and Holwell.
In Pool Five Toulouse piled the pressure on second-placed Bath, who play Glasgow on Sunday, with a bonus-point 26-7 win over Newport-Gwent Dragons.
Toulouse scored four tries through Yannick Jauzion, Clement Poitrenaud, Maxime Medard and Florian Fritz, Frederic Michalak hitting three conversions.
The Dragons scored a late converted consolation try through Steve Jones.
Gloucester leapfrogged Biarritz, 21-17 losers to Cardiff on Friday, into second place in Pool Six with a six-to-two try 40-17 win in Calvisano.
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