Stade Francais turned the winning of the first European trophy in their history into a farewell party for some of their greatest heroes. Their Challenge Cup victory over Gloucester was not yet a swansong – the prize of a place in the more prestigious Champions Cup next season is still on offer if they can beat Cardiff on Friday.
And go on to victory over the winners of a Northampton Saints- Connaught play-off in a fortnight. But, even if Stade achieve that goal, they will be having to toast absent friends when those big games come around next autumn.
For a start, centre Geoffrey Douma...