Muddy Bath beaten by Stade

Bath saw their slim hopes of Heineken Cup progression finally killed off as Stade Francais claimed a hard-fought 15-13 victory on a muddy afternoon in Paris.

Stade dominated the early stages and raced out to a 12-point lead thanks to two tries from wing Julien Arias.

But a determined Bath were let back in when an incredible error from Lionel Beauxis allowed scrum-half Michael Claassens to touch down shortly before half-time.

Although a Nicky Little penalty reduced the gap even further, Stade held firm to secure the win and a commanding position at the top of Pool Four.

Wet conditions and a heavy Stade Jean Bouin pitch greeted the two teams as Stade took the initiative in the opening stages.

Chances

The hosts missed a tough chance to take the lead when France international Beauxis came up short with a long-range penalty attempt from wide on the right.

Stade continued to enjoy virtually all of the early possession but saw another attempt to get on the scoreboard thwarted when stand-off Ignacio Mieres saw his drop-goal charged down.

But it was Bath who almost crossed the try-line after 10 minutes when Michael Stephenson progressed the ball downfield with a number of kicks before Mirco Bergamasco raced back to save an almost certain five points.

The visitors then fell behind when Beauxis slotted over a far simpler penalty after Bath were caught offside following a Joe Maddock mistake.

But Bath were soon back on level terms when Mathieu Bastereaud grabbed the ball in a ruck and fly-half Little slotted over the subsequent penalty.

Bastereuad then made amends by charging forward and chipping a kick over the Bath line and Arias collected before touching down for the game's opening try.

Big lead

Beauxis missed a tough conversion but the lead was soon to be extended when a flowing Stade move ended with Arias scoring his second try to make it 15-3.

Beauxis nailed the conversion this time but was left red-faced after his inexplicable mistake let Steve Meehan's side back in almost immediately.

Deep in his own territory, the Frenchman tried to fly-hack a pass from stand-in scrum-half Hugo Southwell but only succeeded in slicing the ball beyond his own try-line where Claassens pounced to reduce the deficit shortly before the interval.

After the break, the visiting side brought themselves to within two points as Little slotted over a penalty to make it 15-13.

A scrappy passage of play ensued as Stade struggled to recreate the possession and pressure that had saw them dictate play in the first half.

As the playing surface became increasingly treacherous in the constant rain, both sides resorted to kicking, challenging their opponents to make a clean catch in the slippery conditions.

After Claassens illegally handled in a ruck, Stade missed the opportunity to increase their slender advantage as Beauxis' mishit penalty sailed wide to the left.

Although the small gap remained, Bath did not come close to an upset as the hosts held on to boost their chances of a home quarter-final tie.