Stade Francais stayed firmly in the hunt for a Top 14 playoff place on Saturday as they outclassed leaders and European champions Toulouse 31-3 at the Stade de France.
Despite the defeat, Toulouse stayed top because second-placed Montpellier were held 12-12 at home to 2009 champions Perpignan, who are struggling to even make the top six.
Julien Arias scored his fifth try of the season when he profited from a reckless pass by Vincent Clerc, who missed intended target Clement Poitrenaud, and the Stade winger kicked ahead to touch down.
Julien Dupuy converted from wide out on the left to give the hosts a 10-3 advantage, but they suffered a blow when Englishman Ollie Phillips was yellow carded in the 26th minute for a late tackle on Cedric Heymans.
However, Stade extended their lead despite being a man down when Dupuy slotted over a penalty in the 33rd minute and he added another three points shortly before the break to give them a 16-3 halftime lead.
Dupuy added another penalty shortly after halftime and then the hosts hit the European champions with a killer blow when center Mathieu Bastareaud scored an excellent try created by former France flyhalf Lionel Beauxis to give them a 24-3 lead with half an hour to play.
Toulouse never threatened to get back into the match and it was no surprise when England star James Haskell added a third try with eight minutes remaining — Dupuy converting to make it 31-3.
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