Depleted Saints lose big lead as Stade Français turn on the power in Paris

The black, green and gold, backed by their travelling army of fans, flew out of the blocks in Paris, with Tom Lockett diving over early on and Henry Pollock pouching two scores.

Saints, who had lost Fin Smith to illness before the game, adding to a laundry list of absences, looked to be cruising, but they saw their lead 21-0 cut to just two points before the break as Stade summoned a big response.

Saints again started the faster in the second period, with Henry Walker bagging their bonus-point try, but Stade refused to relent in pursuit of their first victory in this season's Investec Champions Cup.

The home side's forward power put Saints under real pressure, particularly at lineout time.

Saints were also hit by two sin-binnings during the second half as Alex Mitchell and captain Josh Kemeny saw yellow.

Stade took advantage and they kept flying forward with real intensity, backed by a raucous home crowd.

Curtis Langdon did manage to grab a last-gasp try for Dowson's men but it wasn't enough to earn a losing bonus point as Stade saw the final minute out in the away half.

It means Saints have now taken 11 points from three matches in this season's Investec Champions Cup ahead of the final game of the pool stage, at home to Munster next Saturday.

They will be desperate to get some key men back for that fixture as they headed to Paris with 11 players on the unavailable list.

Smith's name was added to that before kick-off, meaning Rory Hutchinson moved to 10 and Charlie Savala came in at centre, with George Makepeace-Cubitt on the bench.

Despite the disruption, Saints asked some early questions of the Stade defence, but the home side were up to the challenge, holding the black, green and gold at arm's length.

That was until a moment of controversy arrived, with Stade furious that they hadn't been given a lineout in Saints territory after they felt James Ramm had left his 22 to clear on the full.

Stade were awarded the lineout just inside their own half and after they lost it, Tommy Freeman flew towards the home line, being stopped just short before Saints recycled the ball for Lockett to score close to the posts.

Hutchinson easily converted and Saints had the wind in their sails as they kept powering forward, with some more sharp play eventually resulting in Pollock producing a fine finish in the corner.

Pollock was soon going over again, this time untroubled as Stade were wide open inside the Saints half, allowing the talented young No.8 to grab the ball and cruise through a gap and race home from inside his own territory.

Hutchinson added the extras again to make it 21-0 after a scarcely-believable opening 18 minutes.

Stade finally got a chance to attack soon after as they mounted a feocious charge that ended with a try in the right corner for wing Peni Dakuwaqa.

The conversion was missed and Saints tried to issue a rapid riposte, but a breakdown penalty inside the Stade 22 ended a promising attack.

Saints were hit with a sucker punch soon after as they looked to push forward from halfway, but Hutchinson's kick was charged down by JJ van der Mescht and the lock galloped home for the try.

Zack Henry converted and the gap was now nine points, with the home fans starting to raise the noise levels.

Saints tried to respond, this time through Ramm as he slalomed his way towards the line, but again Stade did some fine work at the breakdown to relive the pressure.

And the home side rubbed salt in the wounds with the clock having long hit 40 as they piled on the pressure and eventually powered over through Yoan Tanga after Saints' lineout defence splintered.

Henry kicked the conversion as the home fans roared their approval, leaving Saints in no doubt as to the size of the challenge that lay in wait in the second half.

Another chance came and went for Saints after the restart as their visits to the home 22 continued to be fruitless.

But finally the men in white found a way through as they lifted the tempo thanks to Mitchell's sharpness, and after the scrum-half went close, Walker stretched out an arm to bag the bonus-point score.

Hutchinson converted after Stade skipper Paul Gabrillagues remonstrated with the referee, but the French side were soon celebrating as they went down the other end and earned a penalty try.

Referee Eoghan Cross also sin-binned Mitchell for pulling down the maul, meaning Saints' lead had been cut again and they had lost one of their key men for the next 10 minutes.

Stade finally took the lead for the first time on 52 minutes as they sucked Saints in at lineout time, allowing replacement scrum-half Brad Weber to lead an attack that saw centre Samuel Ezeala finish with a flourish.

Henry missed the conversion but Stade led by three points, and they had all the momentum.

And just before Mitchell returned to the field, the home side scored again, with Tanga using his power to deliver another score.

Saints felt it had been held up, but the try was given and Henry added the extras to give his side some real breathing space.

A few minutes later, a scuffle broke out inside the Stade half as five home players went to confront Langdon. Both sets of players got involved and Stade were penalised after replacement prop Hugo Ndiaye came in and made contact with the head of Freeman.

But Saints lost the lineout, to the delight of the fired-up home fans, and Dowson's men were left frustrated yet again.

Again salt was applied to the wound as Stade raced upfield and a late tackle saw Kemeny sin-binned before the men in pink turned to the lineout drive again, powering over through Gabrillagues.

Henry converted to make it 45-28 and the game was all but gone for a battered and bruised Saints.

The away side kept fighting though, with Langdon powering over from a late lineout drive.

Hutchinson excellently added the extras, but Saints could not salvage the losing bonus point as Stade finished the game in the visitors' half.

Stade Français: 15. Joe Jonas; 14. Peni Dakuwaqa. 13. Samuel Ezeala, 12. Julien Delbouis (Joe Marchant 69). 11. Lester Etien; 10. Zack Henry, 9. Louis Foursans (Brad Weber); 1. Paul Alo-Emile (Isaac Koffi 69), 2. Giacomo Nicotera (Alvaro Garcia 56), 3. Francisco Gomez Kodela (Hugo Ndiaye 59); 4. Paul Gabrillagues (c), 5. JJ van der Mescht (Sekou Macalou 47); 6. Tanginoa Halaifonua, 7. Romain Briatte (Baptiste Pesenti 69), 8. Yoan Tanga.

Saints: 15. James Ramm; 14. Tommy Freeman; 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Charlie Savala, 11. Tom Seabrook (George Makepeace-Cubitt 71); 10. Rory Hutchinson, 9. Alex Mitchell (Archie McParland 70); 1. Tarek Haffar (Tom West 62), 2. Henry Walker (Curtis Langdon 59), 3. Trevor Davison (Luke Green 51); 4. Ed Prowse (Callum Hunter-Hill 65), 5. Tom Lockett; 6. Josh Kemeny (Fyn Brown 78), 7. Angus Scott-Young (Tom Pearson 59), 8. Henry Pollock.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)

Attendance: 14,878