Pressure eases on Meyer as Stade Francais grab vital win
Stade Francais assistant coach Pieter De Villiers hailed his team’s 33-30 win over Toulon as an “important victory” on Sunday even if the Paris giants’ second triumph of the season still kept them rooted to the foot of the Top 14 table.
Stade were heading for a sixth defeat in seven games when they trailed the three-time European champions 30-26 with just seven minutes left at the Stade Jean-Bouin.
However, a late converted try by fullback Kylan Hamdaoui, who was fastest to react when an attempted drop goal by veteran Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn came back off the post, handed Stade a lifeline.
Victory also helped ease the intense pressure on Stade’s former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer which had been building in the wake of last weekend’s 46-16 rout at the hands of Castres.
Steyn, 35, played his part, kicking four penalties and converting all three Stade tries for a personal haul of 18 points.
“This is an important victory for the club,” admitted De Villiers. “Hats off to the players. They never dropped their heads.”
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