Challenge Cup 2025/26 · Round of 16
Stade Francais Paris
Dragons
Stade Jean Bouin, Paris
Championship Standings
No unified Challenge Cup table applies at the knockout stage. In their respective pools, Stade Francais finished 2nd in Pool 3 (W3 L1, 16 pts) behind Ulster, while Dragons scraped through Pool B in 3rd (W2 L2, 9 pts). Domestically the gap is stark — Stade Francais sit 3rd in Top 14, Dragons 15th of 16 in the URC.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Toulouse | 20 | 15 | 5 | +357 | 71 |
| 2 |  Section Paloise | 20 | 13 | 7 | +77 | 59 |
| 3 |  Stade Francais Paris | 20 | 11 | 8 | +128 | 59 |
| 4 |  Bordeaux-Bègles | 20 | 12 | 8 | +136 | 59 |
| 5 |  Montpellier | 20 | 11 | 8 | +158 | 57 |
| 6 |  Clermont | 20 | 11 | 9 | +82 | 52 |
Stade Francais Paris
W3, L1Stade Francais have been ruthlessly efficient in the Challenge Cup — three wins from four, including a gutsy 24–21 victory away at Exeter and a 45–18 demolition of the Cheetahs. Their only loss was a narrow 28–24 defeat at Racing 92. They’re averaging over 32 points per game in this competition, and their Top 14 form — three consecutive wins including a 64–20 hammering of Clermont — suggests they’re peaking at the right time.
Dragons
W2, L2The Dragons qualified from Pool B in 3rd place, but the numbers tell a concerning story — they conceded 148 points in four games, a deficit of 52. Both wins came at Rodney Parade; both away trips ended in hammerings, particularly the 55–22 shellacking at Benetton. They can compete at home against modest opposition, but on the road against quality sides, the defensive cracks are gaping.
Head-to-Head Record
2 – 1 – 1
Stade Francais wins · Draws · Dragons wins (recent meetings)
Stade Francais Paris (2)These two sides have met infrequently. The most notable recent meetings were in the 2022/23 Challenge Cup pool stage, where Stade Francais won 34–19 in Paris and the Dragons earned a creditable 26–26 draw at Rodney Parade. The power dynamic has shifted significantly since then — Stade Francais have established themselves as a Top 14 playoff contender while the Dragons remain anchored to the bottom of the URC.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2023 | Challenge Cup | Stade Francais 34–19 Dragons |
| Dec 2022 | Challenge Cup | Dragons 26–26 Stade Francais |
| Oct 2017 | Challenge Cup | Dragons 23–20 Stade Francais |
| Oct 2017 | Challenge Cup | Stade Francais 38–22 Dragons |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Stade Francais 30 – Dragons 22. Stade Francais have scored 30+ in three of the four meetings.
Extended Form
Stade Francais ParisW11, D1, L8 (Top 14); W3, L1 (Challenge Cup)
Top 14: 3rd with 59 points from 20 matches. Recent run includes three consecutive bonus-point wins — 64–20 v Clermont, 46–27 at Toulon, 42–21 v Perpignan. Earlier losses to Toulouse, Bordeaux, and La Rochelle. Challenge Cup: W3 L1, scoring 129 points in four pool matches.
Stade Francais are a genuine Top 14 title contender this season, sitting 3rd on 59 points level with Section Paloise and Bordeaux. Laurent Labit’s side have found devastating attacking form in the last month — 152 points scored in their last three Top 14 games. Louis Carbonel leads the Top 14 points charts with 220 points in 18 appearances. This is a squad built to compete on multiple fronts.
DragonsW2, D3, L9 (URC); W2, L2 (Challenge Cup)
URC: 15th of 16 with just 21 points from 14 matches — two wins, three draws, nine losses. Point difference of −83. Recent form is W, L, L, D, L across all competitions. Challenge Cup: scraped through Pool B in 3rd with 9 points, losing heavily at Benetton (55–22) and at Lions (38–20).
The Dragons are in a familiar position — bottom end of the URC, relying on European competition for knockout rugby. Two URC wins all season is damning, and their away record across all competitions is dreadful. They concede an average of 25.5 points per URC match. The gap in class between a Top 14 playoff team and a URC basement side is enormous.
Stade Francais Paris XV
Lineups have not yet been announced for this fixture. Stade Francais have a deep squad featuring internationals across the park — Louis Carbonel at fly-half, Joe Marchant and Jeremy Ward in the centres, Sekou Macalou at flanker, and Tawera Kerr-Barlow or Brad Weber at scrum-half. Laurent Labit may rotate given the Top 14 playoff push, but expect a strong XV for a European knockout tie.
Dragons XV
Lineups have not yet been announced. The Dragons will lean on their Welsh internationals — Aaron Wainwright and Rio Dyer are the headline names, with Elliot Dee, Dillon Lewis, and Ben Carter providing further Test experience. Cai Evans or Angus O’Brien will likely start at fly-half. Depth remains an issue, with several squad players also committed to the Welsh setup.
Key Matchups
Stade Francais hold a significant advantage in virtually every area of the pitch. Louis Carbonel — the Top 14’s leading points scorer with 220 this season — gives Paris a decisive edge at fly-half over whichever option the Dragons choose. The Parisian backrow of Macalou, Tanga, and Briatte is physically dominant and mobile, though Wainwright will carry hard in response. Joe Marchant’s Premiership and international pedigree gives the midfield a cutting edge the Dragons simply can’t match. The Dragons’ best hope lies in disrupting the Stade lineout and competing fiercely at the breakdown through Thomas Young and Wainwright.
Match Forecast
The numbers make this as lopsided as a knockout tie can be. Stade Francais are 3rd in the Top 14 — arguably Europe’s strongest domestic league — and are riding a wave of devastating attacking form: 152 points in their last three league games. Louis Carbonel, the Top 14’s leading scorer with 220 points, gives them a match-winner the Dragons have no answer to. With home advantage at Stade Jean Bouin and a squad packed with internationals, Stade Francais hold advantages in every meaningful area of the pitch — a net scorecard of +23 puts this firmly in mismatch territory.
The Dragons’ only path to an upset requires a near-perfect set-piece performance and Aaron Wainwright and Thomas Young winning the breakdown battle. In reality, the Welsh region’s URC form — two wins from fourteen, 15th in the table, point difference of −83 — tells you everything. They’ve been hammered on every away trip this season against quality opposition, losing 55–22 at Benetton and 38–20 at the Lions in the pool stage. Stade Francais will be too fast, too powerful, and too deep for the Dragons to contain for 80 minutes.
Stade Francais to win comfortably by 20+ points — the class gap between a Top 14 contender and a URC basement side is too wide to bridge.