Round three of the Investec Champions Cup is full of exciting fixtures. This week, Leinster hosts Paris at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in what is already shaping up to be an important game. The two sides last faced off over ten years ago in the Challenge Cup, will the Irish side win again?
Both teams are enjoying domestic success this season. Leinster are at the top of the United Rugby Championship, and Stade Français find themselves third. However, Paris is yet to get going in the Champions Cup. Form favours the home side. Plus, with Leicester hot on their heels in pool four, there’s no chance the Irish men will rest on their laurels. As for Les Stadistes, the team has to win if they want any hope of progressing to the knockout stages.
Leinster Rugby vs Stade Français Paris Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Leinster vs Stade Français is one of the oldest head-to-head rugby matches in European club rugby. The two sides have only met 5 times, but the first clash dates back to 1998, when European club rugby was only 3 years old. The Frenchmen ran out winners in the inaugural match by 28-17 in Dublin. Stade Français took the spoils again just a few weeks later with a resounding 56-31 win in Paris. Stade eased through to the semi-finals that year before they came unstuck by eventual Heineken Cup winners Munster.
The two teams played again the following season. Paris enjoyed a comprehensive 39-6 win in their pool one clash on December 12, 1999. Just five days later, however, Leinster recorded their first-ever win in this tie with an epic 24-23 win in Dublin. The teams did not meet again until the European Challenge Cup Final in 2013. Leinster beat the men in pink 34-13 in a one-sided final at the RDS Arena in Dublin. The match was their biggest clash to date, but it was over ten years ago.
Four-time winners, Leinster has blitzed pool four with two wins and a bonus point to leave the Irishmen on top of the tree. In round one, Leinster travelled to the west of France in early December to take on La Rochelle. The team from Ireland got their revenge, edging it 16-9 in a tight game. In round two, Leinster hosted English side Sale. Once again the home side came out on top, in an entertaining 37-27 win. This win gave the men in blue a bonus point to ensure an early lead in the cup.
It was back to domestic rugby the following week as Leinster took on Irish rivals, Munster in the St Stephen’s Day derby at Thomond Park. Leinster came out winners 9-3 in a game dictated by shocking conditions. In Leinster’s last game, they tasted defeat for the second time this season. Ulster put in a fantastic performance to beat the team from Dublin by one point. The score finished 21-22 and the game could go down as one of the best this season.
Irish international Billy Burns controlled the game for Ulster in the first half. Two tries from Nick Timoney and one from Jacob Stockdale, saw the away side go into the break with a well-deserved 19-14 lead. Leinster piled on the pressure in the second half, dominating the maul. When Dan Sheehan touched down in 64 minutes, it looked like a comeback was on. But, a botched kick to touch by Harry Byrne allowed the visitors to get the ball into touch and record a famous victory.
Stade Français kicked off their Investec Champions Cup campaign in forgettable style. A round one trip to the north of England saw the men in pink well beaten 28-5 by Sale at the AJ Bell Stadium. A home tie against the Leicester Tigers the following week saw Paris fall to another tight defeat. This time by a narrower margin, 27-24. After a poor start to their European campaign, Paris would have been looking forward to returning to domestic action. In their first Top 14 game in December, the men in pink got back to winning ways with a 19-13 home win over mid-table La Rochelle.
Before the new year, bitter South Coast rivals Toulon comfortably beat Paris 18-5 at home. Les Stadistes’ first game of the new year was another struggle. They had to rely on a last-minute try from Dakuwaqa to earn a 14-14 draw at home to Clermont. Stade led 7-3 at halftime and scored more tries, but ultimately they were lucky to come away with a draw.
Leinster Rugby vs Stade Français Paris Predictions
If the bookies are correct on this one, it’s going to be a Leinster win. At Novibet, the home side is at 1/100 odds to win outright. So, a €10 bet will only see you get €10.10 back. Leinster has the home advantage, is first in the pool, and playing well on all fronts. An away win for Stade, although unlikely, at 14/1 is much more enticing. You can get 49/1 for the draw and Stade’s last game was a 14-14 draw with Clermont. Could lightning strike twice in two weeks? Stranger things have happened!
For handicap betting, a Leinster win with -17.5 points is still only 1/5. To make some serious money on a home win, you need to look at a larger handicap. Choosing the -41.5 wager will give you 10/3 odds. On the flip side of those handicap bets, giving Stade a +17.5 start, you can get 3/1 odds. Choosing the +41.5 point advantage, you’ll get 2/11 odds. Surely they can’t lose on that one, can they?
Live betting is always a good way to extend the odds, especially in a game expected to be so one-sided. With this, you can place bets on the next try scorer, or any action during the match. The odds for live betting are more appealing, and as you’re watching a game, it might make it easier to predict.
Wagers on the European Rugby Champions Cup are never dull and any team can win among Europe’s elite. Placing a bet, no matter how unlikely, might just come off. At Novibet, you can enjoy a welcome bonus and bet on this fixture using none of your deposited funds.
Leinster Rugby vs Stade Français Paris Betting Tips
With bookies predicting a one-sided game, it’s hard to look past a Leinster win. Rugby Union betting offers a myriad of options. While history suggests a tight game, Leinster’s form this season makes an outright home win likely. Rugby Club Rankings is predicting a 13-point win for Leinster, which seems to be the common consensus for this tie.
Leinster hosts Stade Francais Paris in the European Rugby Champions Cup on Saturday, January 13th. Here's our predictions, before lineups are announced.#InvestecChampionsCup | #LEIvSFP | #LEI | #SFP pic.twitter.com/nyQVWmac0d
— Rugby Club Rankings (@Rugbyclubranks) January 11, 2024
If Stade can unsettle the home side and quieten the raucous Dublin crowd, they have a chance. 14/1 for an away win is very appealing, even if Stade is yet to win the cup competition. However, Leinster is one of the best performers in all competitions this season. A handicap bet on the home side can offer good odds. Plus, choosing the winning margin will pay more, but is trickier to get right. If you think it’s going to be tight, a Leinster win by fewer than seven points is coming in at 14/1. A Stade Français win by under seven points is an appealing 49/1.
Leinster Rugby Team News & Lineups
James Ryan missed the game against Ulster but could return for this week’s game, but Alex Soroka is still a doubt. Jimmy O’Brien is out for a few months, as is Martin Moloney. Long-term injuries will see Charlie Ngatai, Cormac Foley, Ross Byrne, and Jamie Osborne all miss out.
- Leinster predicted lineup: H Keenan, J Larmour, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J O’Brien, C Frawley, J Gibson-Park, A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson, J Jenkins, J Ryan, R Baird, J van der Flier, and C Doris.
Stade Français Paris Team News & Lineups
There’s no news of any new Stade Français injuries, so a full-strength team could sway an unexpected away win. In other news, Les Stadistes has secured the signing of Treviso and Italian hooker Giacomo Nicotera. This will fill the void after Mickaël Ivaldi leaves at the end of the season. All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor, who is taking a sabbatical from rugby, is also linked with Stade.
- Paris predicted lineup: L Barre, K Hamdaoui, J Ward, P Boudehent, P Dakuwaqa, J Segonds, H Zabalza, C Castets, L Peyresblanques, P Alo-Emile, P-H Azagoh, JJ van der Mescht, J Ory, R Chapuis, and M Hirigoyen
