JAMES HARRINGTON
FRENCH COLUMN

WHEN does a bad start become a crisis?
For Stade Francais it was the morning after last Saturday’s defeat at Pau, their third loss in four matches, that head coach Karim Ghezal was politely yet firmly invited to clear his desk.
It’s a cruel truth that Stade Francais fans – and everyone else – knew Ghezal was coming to the club for longer than he was actually there.
In truth, there was rather more to his departure from Stade Jean Bouin than a poor start to the season – reports suggested something of a coaching staff...