Stade Français defeated the Toyota Cheetahs 45-22 in their EPCR Challenge Cup match in Amsterdam. The French side overcame a halftime deficit with a dominant second half, scoring four unanswered tries in the second half before the late consolation try by Juandre Nel.
The loss put a dent in the Cheetahs' hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages after a heavy defeat in their season opener to Exeter Chiefs the previous week.
Stade Français started the match on fire, scoring converted tries by Thibaut Motassi and Joe Marchant to lead 14-03 after twenty minutes of play.
The Cheetahs replied with tries by Louis van der Westhuizen and Munier Hartzenberg during the final twenty minutes of the first half to lead 17-14 going into the second half.
However, a "second half implosion" saw Stade Français take control of the game with several unanswered tries.
Stade Français dominated the second half, starting with a charge-down try from Iakopo Mapo. Further tries from Motassi (twice), Noah Nene, and Juan Martin Scalzo sealed the victory for Stade Français.
The Cheetahs managed one more long-range try in the 78th minute by Juandre Nel, but it was not enough to change the outcome.
Scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs: Tries: Louis van der Westhuizen, Munier Hartzenberg, Jandre Nel. Conversions: Cohen Jasper (2). Penalty: Cohen Jasper.
Stade Français: Tries: Thibaut Motassi, Joe Marchant, Iakopo Mapu, Thibaut Motassi, Noah Nene, Juan-Martin Scelzo. Conversions: Louis Foursans-Bourdette (6). Penalty: Louis Foursans-Bourdette.
Teams:
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Michael Annies, 14 Cohen Jasper, 13 Munier Hartzenberg, 12 De-an Ackermann, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 George Lourens, 9 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 8 Gideon van der Merwe, 7 Pierre Uys, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Juan Venter, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen (c), 1 Cameron Dawson. Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17. Matome Manyama, 18. Frankie Dos Reis, 19.Curtley Thomas, 20. Sisonke Vumazonke, 21. Neels Volschenk, 22. Jandré Nel, 23. Clayton Blommetjies.
Stade Français: 15 Mathis Ibo, 14 Charles Laloi, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Jeremy Ward (captain), 11 Andy Timo, 10. Louis Foursans-Bourdette, 9 Thibaut Motassi, 8 Iakopo Mapu, 7 Ryan Chapuis, 6 Juan-Martin Scelzo, 5 Jacques Botha, 4 Pierre-Henri Azagoh, 3 Paul Alo-Emile, 2 Alvaro Garcia Albo, 1 Jack Iscaro. Replacements: 16 Lucas Peyresblanques, 17 Moses Alo-Emile, 18 Braxton Asi, 19 Mathieu Hirigoyen, 20.Setareki Turagacoke, 21 Noah Nene, 22 Martin Blum, 23 Joe Jonas.
