Archie Vanes scores Champions Cup hat-trick as Leicester Tigers beat Stade Francais in thriller

Stade Francais 24 Leicester Tigers 27

With a myriad of big names rested for this trip across the channel a much-changed Tigers outfit were made to work to disarm a stubborn Stade side, but one young gun in particular seized his chance and shone.

Archie Vanes might not be a household name in English rugby, but watch this space. The young hooker’s hat-trick of tries on his European debut – the first Leicester player to achieve such a feat – inspired Tigers to the grittiest of wins.

There were bizarre scenes in the dying stages as Stade desperately hunted a fourth try to snatch victory. With the clock in the red and the English visitors under the pump after Mike Brown was sin-binned for a deliberate interception, a second ball was mysteriously thrown onto the pitch while two teams were vigorously locked in a maul (watch video below).

Referee Nika Amashukeli halted proceedings and – to the dismay of Tigers’ fatigued pack – restarted play with a Stade scrum owing to what he described as a “unique situation”. But at the crucial moment, the hosts could not strike (watch video below).

There was a feeling of inevitability for the French outfit, who were twice pinged back by the boot of Jamie Shillcock and Tigers’ industrious personnel from the bench. Vanes will steal the headlines, but lock Harry Wells was equally the hero. He made two vital turnovers deep in his side’s 22, the latter which allowed Shillcock to boot the ball up and out into the Parisian night.

Rugby is a game of fine margins and Stade will wonder what might have been had one of their own replacement wingers – the aptly named Lester Etien – spilled Joris Segonds’ cross-field kick as he closed in on the whitewash in the last minute of normal time.

On balance, Tigers, who have now considerably boosted their hopes of making the last-16 in their so-called ‘pool of death’ – which includes Irish giants Leinster and reigning champions La Rochelle – deserved the win after spending the majority of the first half with their backs against the wall.

Their cause was hardly helped when Charlie Atkinson was sin-binned for clattering into Leo Barre just as the Frenchman launched a chip and chase.

Stade threatened to capitalise with their one-man advantage when Joris Segonds exploited Tigers’ depleted backline with a crisp attacking kick that found a racing Charles Laloi. He was smothered, though, by a tag-teaming effort of Brown and Anthony Watson, who endured a quiet night on his return since sustaining a calf injury that ruled him out of this year’s World Cup.

Unlike their French foes, Tigers took their opportunities when it mattered by unleashing their maul. Twice Vanes – a 22-year-old polished gem from Tigers’ academy where he was once mentored by Steve Borthwick – blasted through the front of it to assault Stade’s tryline after patiently biding his time at the back of Tigers’ machine.

The former England under-18 starlet, who cut his teeth in junior rugby with Melbourne RFC in Derbyshire, has hardly been lacking in role models to learn from at Leicester – Argentine stalwart Julian Montoya being one of them – and his two key first-half interventions guaranteed Tigers a four-point lead at the break.

He rounded off a fine individual performance by plundering his third with a smash and grab in the 54th minute, before Stade jolted into life through a sublime individual cameo from Leo Barre, who was set on his way after an exquisite reverse pass from Jules Gimbert (watch video below).

But Tigers kept up the scoreboard pressure through a brace of Shillcock penalties and a flurry of turnovers as McKellar sent on the calvary to close out a compelling Anglo-French duel, with Emeka Ilione and Wells at the heart of the visitors’ defensive scalps late on.

Match details

Scores: 0-5 Vanes try, 0-7 Shillcock con, 5-7 Hirigoyen try, 7-7 Segonds con, 10-7 Segonds pen, 10-12 Vanes try, 10-14 Shilcock con, 15-14 Laloi try, 17-14 Segonds con, 17-19 Vanes try, 17-21 Shillcock con, 17-24 Shillcock pen, 22-24 Barre try, 24-24 Segonds con, 24-27 Shillcock pen.

Stade Francais: L Barre; K Hamdaoui, J Marchant, J Ward, C Laloi (Azagoh Kouadio 74) J Segonds, H Zabalza; C Castets (M Alo-Emile 58) M Ivaldi (J van der Mescht 58) P Alo-Emile (F Gomez Kodela 58), P Gabrillagues, B Pesenti (L Peyresblanques 58), S Macalou, R Chapuis (L Elien 74) M Hirigoyen.
Replacements not used: P Azagoh, S Ahmed, J Gimbert.

Leicester: C Atkinson; A Watson, D Kelly, S Kata, M Brown; J Shillcock, T Whiteley; J Cronin (J Whitcombe 58), A Vanes (F Theobald-Thomas 62), J Heyes (W Hurd 59), G Martin (H Wells 65), S Carter, H Liebenberg, M Rogerson, K Hattherell (E Ilione 65)
Booked: Atkinson, Brown.
Replacements not used: J Powell, K Wilkinson, P Cokanasiga.

Referee: Nika Amashukeli

Stade Francais v Leicester Tigers: as it happened

07:50 PM GMT

Round two results

Pool one

Saracens 55 - 36 Connacht

Union Bordeaux Bègles 36 - 17 Bristol Bears

Lyon 29 - 28 Vodacom Bulls

Pool two

Cardiff 32 - 39 Bath

Ulster 31 - 15 Racing

Harlequins 19 - 47 Stade Toulousain

Pool three

Northampton Saints 22 - 19 RC Toulon

Aviron Bayonnais 11 - 12 Glasgow Warriors

Exeter Chiefs 32 - 24 Munster

Pool four

DHL Stormers 21 - 20 Stade Rochelais

Leinster 37 - 27 Sale Sharks

Stade Français Paris 24 - 27 Leicester Tigers

07:42 PM GMT

Winning moment for Leicester in Paris

07:34 PM GMT

Standings in pool four

With that win Leicester are second on nine points, level on points with Leinster. Stade are bottom of the group with just the one solitary bonus point.

07:32 PM GMT

Leicester win

Wells wins a penalty at the breakdown and Leicester win in Paris. The final score is 24-27.

07:31 PM GMT

80 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Two balls were on the pitch so the referee stops play and Stade will have a scrum. We are deep into the red now...

07:29 PM GMT

Yellow card

Brown is the culprit and the referee sends him to the sin-bin. Stade will therefore have a penalty inside the Leicester 22. They go to the corner. Will they win it at the death?

07:28 PM GMT

79 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Leicester have a knock-on advantage and unfurl a cross-field kick. It is to perfection but Etien somehow drops it with the line beckoning. How did he drop that? That should have been a simple catch and he would have strolled in to give Stade the win. Stade have a scrum with second left but the TMO is looking at a potential knock-on by Leicester...

07:26 PM GMT

79 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Into the final minute and Stade have the ball inside the Leicester 22...

07:25 PM GMT

78 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Just two minutes to go and Stade have a line-out on halfway. Stade wanted a penalty for a trip but the referee does not see it that way.

07:22 PM GMT

No try

None of the replays show a grounding so the on-field decision of held up stands.

07:21 PM GMT

76 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Stade are over the line but did they get it down? The referee says no and that it was held up. Wells looks like he was lucky to escape punishment for his entry into the maul. I am not sure how legal he was there. The referee has sent it for a TMO review...

07:19 PM GMT

75 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Big push from Stade and they win the penalty inside the Leicester 22. Will they opt for a kick at goal to bring them level or be aggressive and go for the corner? They need the win so they will go for the corner...

07:16 PM GMT

73 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Stade feel they about to win a scrum penalty but the referee opts for a reset.

07:15 PM GMT

72 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Stade get the maul going but Leicester are awarded a scrum after great work from Wells. That is now two Leicester substitutes who have made telling contributions inside their own 22.

07:14 PM GMT

72 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Stade have a penalty just inside the Leicester half and they kick towards the corner. They have a line-out on the Leicester 22...

07:11 PM GMT

69 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

That is brilliant work from Ilione, who has only just come onto the pitch. He quickly gets away from the scrum and to the breakdown to win a penalty at the jackel.

07:10 PM GMT

68 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 27

Another coach-killer for Leicester like in the first half. They have just taken the lead and then knock on from the kick off on the edge of their 22...

07:09 PM GMT

Penalty successful

From long distance Shillcock lands it and Leicester are back ahead.

07:08 PM GMT

66 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 24

Leicester win a penalty on halfway at the scrum. Shillcock will go for goal in an attempt to give Leicester the lead...

07:07 PM GMT

65 minutes Stade Francais 24 Leicester 24

Leicester have made a few more changes as Vanes, Martin and Hatherall have been replaced by Theobald-Thomas, Wells and Ilione.

07:04 PM GMT

Try Stade

WHAT A TRY FROM BARRE! You will not see many better this season. From his own 22 he chips it over the on-rushing Leicester defence. He collects the ball, goes through a gap and goes through to score. It is an easy conversion in front of the posts to bring the game level.

07:01 PM GMT

60 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 24

Leicester make a change at tighthead prop as Hurd replaces Heyes.

06:59 PM GMT

58 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 24

Stade are making a triple sub as Peyresblanques, Alo-Emile and van der Mescht all come onto the field.

06:58 PM GMT

Penalty Leicester

Shillcock’s penalty is successful and Leicester extend their lead to seven points.

06:58 PM GMT

57 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 21

Big, big turnover from Kata. He gets over the ball really well and wins the penalty inside the Stade half. Shillcock points to the posts and this should be an easy three points from in front of the posts...

06:56 PM GMT

Try Leicester

Stade stop the maul but Leicester keep going through the phases metres out from Stade’s line. Eventually it is hooker Vanes who goes over for his hat-trick. What a night for him. The conversion for Shillcock is an easy one and Leicester are back in the lead by 21-17.

06:54 PM GMT

52 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 14

Big mistake from Stade as they kick it out on the full. Leicester work it well out wide from the line-out and Brown makes the break down the left-hand touchline. Leicester go through the phases close to the line and are held up over the line. But the referee goes back for a penalty to Leicester. Shillcock goes for the corner and he does not miss it this time...

06:48 PM GMT

47 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 14

Leicester go through a number of phases but the referee comes back for a penalty to the visitors as Stade were offside. The penalty is in front of the posts but they will go for the corner.

What a huge mistake from Shillcock though as he misses touch and it goes dead. That is a huge error.

06:45 PM GMT

44 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 14

Leicester have a penalty on the halfway line as Stade do not stay on their feet. They kick to the corner...

06:44 PM GMT

43 minutes Stade Francais 17 Leicester 14

Play is stopped as Macalou is down receiving some medical attention. He is fine though to continue.

06:42 PM GMT

Try Stade

What a start to the second half for Stade! They get a rolling maul going towards the Leicester 22. Scrum-half Zabalza snipes down the blindside and Stade have a two-on-one. He feeds it out to winger Laloi who goes over for a try within two minutes of the start of the second half. The conversion is successful. Stade back into the lead.

06:39 PM GMT

Second half

We are back under way in Paris. Will Leicester make it two wins from two or can Stade get their first win of the pool stages?

06:24 PM GMT

Half-time

That is it for the first-half and Leicester lead 14-10 in Paris.

06:24 PM GMT

Try Leicester

Vanes scores his second of the night. They win the line-out and get the maul going. Vanes gets himself over the line and Leicester will take a lead into the break. Shillcock’s conversion is a good one from near the touchline.

06:22 PM GMT

40 minutes Stade Francais 10 Leicester 7

Leicester turn down a kick for goal and go to the corner...

06:20 PM GMT

40 minutes Stade Francais 10 Leicester 7

Leicester are deep into Stade’s 22 deep into the red and they have a penalty. There is a stoppage in play due to an injury to Cronin.

06:16 PM GMT

Penalty successful

It is a long way out and on an angle but Segonds gets it.

06:15 PM GMT

37 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

Kata concedes a penalty inside his own half and Stade will go for goal to take the lead for the first time tonight with just a few minutes to go in the first half.

06:08 PM GMT

31 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

But Leicester defend it really well and shove Stade into touch. Atkinson is now back on after his yellow card.

06:08 PM GMT

31 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

It looks like Laloi is going to score for Stade from a superb crossfield kick. But the bounce of the ball is not the kindest and Laloi has to check his stride. But Stade will have a line-out around five metres out from Leicester’s line...

06:04 PM GMT

29 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

Leicester are managing this sin-bin period really well. They have not conceded any points during this period and there is only a minute left.

05:57 PM GMT

22 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

Stade are penalised for obstruction and Leicester can clear their lines.

05:56 PM GMT

21 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

Stade go for the corner and they another penalty. There is concern for former Stade man and current Leicester captain Liebenberg, who is down receiving treatment but he is back on his feet. Stade to the corner again...

05:54 PM GMT

Yellow card

The referee adjudges that there was no head contact but it was an illegal act so Atkinson is sent to the bin. From all the replays we have seen that looks like the right call.

05:53 PM GMT

TMO review

Hamdaoui chips the ball over Atkinson and the Leicester man makes unnecessary contact with the Stade winger. It looks like Atkinson could receive a card of some sort here.

05:51 PM GMT

20 minutes Stade Francais 7 Leicester 7

This could be big trouble for Leicester full-back Atkinson. Time is off and a charge-down incident is being reviewed...

05:48 PM GMT

Try Stade

Stade score their first try of the night through Hirigoyen. They have yet another penalty advantage but this time they capitalise as Hirigoyen goes over. The conversion is successful and it is all square.

05:46 PM GMT

14 minutes Stade Francais 0 Leicester 7

Stade win a penalty advantage at the scrum and after a number of phases Leicester intercept out wide so we go back for the scrum. Stade elect to scrum again. Worrying times for Leicester. Their front-row will be close to a warning and then a yellow card.

05:44 PM GMT

12 minutes Stade Francais 0 Leicester 7

Stade have a penalty advantage for a no-arms tackle but cannot use it. They elect to go for the scrum five metres out in front of the posts.

05:43 PM GMT

11 minutes Stade Francais 0 Leicester 7

That is a real coach-killer. Just after they score a try to make the perfect start, Leicester now concede a penalty and Stade go to the corner...

05:40 PM GMT

Try Leicester

Leicester have the first try of the night. They win the line-out, set the maul going and it is hooker Vanes who burrows his way over. That decision to go for the corner vindicated. The conversion is successful. Leicester lead 7-0.

05:38 PM GMT

7 minutes Stade Francais 0 Leicester 0

Leicester are awarded a penalty advantage at the scrum and they cannot take advantage of it so the referee goes back to the scrum penalty. Leicester turn down three points and go for the corner. The aggressive option...

05:37 PM GMT

6 minutes Stade Francais 0 Leicester 0

This will present an early opportunity for Leicester as Stade knock on on the edge of their own 22.

05:34 PM GMT

2 minutes Stade Francais 0 Leicester 0

The first scrum of the night will be Leicester’s as Stade knock on just outside the Leicester 22. How will the Leicester front-row cope? There is no Montoya or Cole in their front-row. It looks like Stade have the ascendancy but Leicester are awarded a penalty.

05:31 PM GMT

Kick-off

We are under way in Paris.

05:30 PM GMT

Kick-off fast approaching

Both sides have emerged from the tunnel and kick-off is just moments away.

05:24 PM GMT

Reminder of the teams

Stade Francais: Barre; Hamdaoui, Marchant, Jeremy Ward, Laloi, Segonds, Zabalza; Castets, Ivaldi, Alo-Emile, Gabrillagues, Pesenti, Macalou, Briatte, Hirigoyen.

Replacements: Peyresblanques, Alo-Emile, Kodela, Azagoh, Ahmed, Gimbert, Chapuis, Van der Mescht.

Leicester Tigers: Atkinson; Watson, Kelly, Kata, Brown; Shillcock, Whiteley; Cronin, Vanes, Heyes, Martin, Carter, Liebenberg, Rogerson, Hatherell.

Replacements: Theobald-Thomas, Whitcombe, Hurd, Wells, Ilione, Powell, Wilkinson, Cokanasiga.

05:12 PM GMT

Stade warming up

05:11 PM GMT

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05:02 PM GMT

Reunion for Liebenberg

05:00 PM GMT

Travelling Leicester fans

04:58 PM GMT

Inside the Stade Jean-Bouin

04:54 PM GMT

Stade arriving with style

04:48 PM GMT

Team news

Leicester have been forced in to a few late changes as Ollie Hassell-Collins, who was set to start, and Harry Simmons have been ruled out due to injury. That has meant Charlie Atkinson has come in to start at 15, Mike Brown switches to the wing and Kieran Wilkinson and Phil Cokanasiga come onto the bench.

Leicester Tigers: Atkinson; Watson, Kelly, Kata, Brown; Shillcock, Whiteley; Cronin, Vanes, Heyes, Martin, Carter, Liebenberg, Rogerson, Hatherell.

Replacements: Theobald-Thomas, Whitcombe, Hurd, Wells, Ilione, Powell, Wilkinson, Cokanasiga.

Stade Francais: Barre; Hamdaoui, Marchant, Jeremy Ward, Laloi, Segonds, Zabalza; Castets, Ivaldi, Alo-Emile, Gabrillagues, Pesenti, Macalou, Briatte, Hirigoyen.

Replacements: Peyresblanques, Alo-Emile, Kodela, Azagoh, Ahmed, Gimbert, Chapuis, Van der Mescht.

04:35 PM GMT

Wiese leaving Leicester at the end of the season

Leicester number eight Jasper Wiese will leave Leicester at the end of the season. The World Cup-winning Springbok joined the club in 2020 and is set to move overseas, potentially to either Japan or France. Wiese has loved being a Tiger for the past few seasons.

“I’ve loved every minute of my time at the club and will continue to give my all for my team and my teammates.”

“This is a special place for me and my family, and we have a lot more memories to create this season.”

Leicester Tigers General Manager Richard Wilks has paid tribute to Wiese.

“We’re immensely proud of Jasper and the player and person he’s become at Leicester Tigers. Jasper joined us as a relatively unknown back rower from the Cheetahs and will leave us a 27-times-capped Springbok and a Rugby World Cup winner. This is testament to the hard work by Jasper but also the coaches and staff at Tigers who deserve huge credit.

“Jasper is a popular member of our group, and we’ll miss him at the club, but the nature of professional sport and our global game means players grow and seek new opportunities and he’ll leave us with our best wishes and he and his family will always be welcome at the club.

“Our squad is in a healthy place for beyond this season and our focus, and Jasper’s, is on making this a special year for Leicester Tigers.”

Leicester Tigers kicked off their Investec Champions Cup campaign with a 35-26 win last weekend against the Stormers. Stade Francais lost their opening game of the pool stages 28-5 away at Sale Sharks last Sunday.

Two games have already been played in pool four this weekend. In Cape Town the Stormers, who lost to Leicester in their opening match, beat the defending champions La Rochelle 21-20. The Stormers scored a try in the corner with a minute left and Manie Libbok stepped up to land a conversion from the touchline with the clock in the red to seal the victory.

Meanwhile in Dublin Leinster beat Sale 37-27 to make it two wins from two and they currently top the group. Leicester have the opportunity this afternoon in Paris to leapfrog Leinster at the top of pool four.

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