Mallia guides Toulouse to Top 14 win over Stade Francais
WRAP: Argentina international Juan Cruz Mallia scored 17 points to guide Top 14 leaders Toulouse to a hard-fought 27-21 win over Stade Francais in Paris on Sunday.
Toulouse rested all of their big names, leaving Mallia, who moved to flyhalf, as the only player in the starting XV to have begun the Champions Cup quarterfinal win over Toulon a week ago.
The Puma duly stepped up to lead his inexperienced teammates from flyhalf, scoring one of Toulouse’s three tries, all of which he converted, along with two penalties.
The win keeps Toulouse at the top of the Top 14 table, five points clear of Bordeaux-Begles with five rounds to go — the top six qualifying for the play-offs.
“The victory shows the character in the team,” said assistant coach Virgile Lacombe.
“When you rotate your squad, when you stick in the young players, you’re giving responsibility to players who are still serving their apprenticeship.
“It was difficult in the first half, but what we’ll remember most is the second half when we put things right.”
Toulouse rapidly started at the Stade Jean Bouin against a Paris side that desperately needed a win to ease the threat of relegation.
After just three minutes, lock Josh Brennan, son of former Ireland No. 8 Trevor Brennan, set up flanker Leo Banos for the opening score.
Mallia converted, added a penalty and then converted the second Toulouse try, scored by centre Paul Costes, to give the visitors a 17-0 lead after just 13 minutes.
After Santiago Chocobares was shown a yellow card, Stade Francais hit back when flyhalf Leo Carbonel wriggled through almost under the posts, adding the conversion.
Flanker Romain Briatte added a second try shortly before the interval, Carbonel converting to make it 17-14 to Toulouse at the break.
Mallia knocked over a penalty early in the second half before chasing through for his try just after the hour.
Seka Macalou gave the Parisians hope with their third try three minutes from time but it was not enough to salvage a bonus point.
Stade Francais remain 12th in the table, level on points with Perpignan in 13th and just six points ahead of bottom side Vannes.
The club finishing 14 are relegated, with the 13th-placed side facing a play-off against the team finishing second in ProD2.
Toulouse remain on course for a top-two finish that would send them directly into the championship semi-finals.
Bordeaux lie second after their 26-22 win at Pau on Saturday, France winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey scoring the crucial try late in the game.
Toulon are just two points behind after their 31-24 win over Clermont.
Two-time Champions Cup winners La Rochelle gave themselves a chance of reaching the play-offs, moving up to eighth after Gregory Alldritt’s late try helped them to a nervous 29-28 home win over fourth-placed Bayonne, snapping a nine-game winless streak stretching back to January 4.
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