Mallett to hammer home Tigers win as turning point

STADE FRANCAIS coach Nick Mallett plans to use their memorable Heineken Cup victory over Leicester as a platform for their “daunting” quarter-final trip to Thomond Park in April.

“I am just relieved and delighted that we got through. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of guts to top our pool,” he said yesterday after the French side were paired with Alan Gaffney’s Munster in the last eight.

“Before the game with Leicester I hadn’t even contemplated facing into a quarter-final. Being realistic, we probably thought we wouldn’t get there.”