Top 14 2025/26 · Semi-Final
Montpellier
Stade Francais Paris
Orange Vélodrome, Marseille
Championship Standings
This is the second of two Top 14 semi-finals at a neutral Orange Vélodrome — and it pits the No. 2 seed against the No. 3. Montpellier finished a stunning regular season in second on 82 points (17 wins, one draw), one of the stories of the campaign after years of mid-table struggle, and earned a coveted top-two bye straight into the last four. Stade Français took the longer road: third on 79 points, then a barrage to negotiate, which they did in style — a 45–5 demolition of La Rochelle. Just three league points separated them across 26 rounds, but the seeding hands Montpellier the nominal home billing in Marseille. Toulouse (1st) meet Racing 92 (5th) in the other semi the night before.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Toulouse | 26 | 18 | 8 | +364 | 86 |
| 2 |  Montpellier | 26 | 17 | 8 | +237 | 82 |
| 3 |  Stade Français | 26 | 15 | 10 | +205 | 79 |
| 4 |  Section Paloise | 26 | 17 | 9 | +152 | 78 |
| 5 |  Racing 92 | 26 | 16 | 9 | +105 | 74 |
| 6 |  La Rochelle | 26 | 15 | 11 | +190 | 72 |
| 7 |  Clermont | 26 | 15 | 11 | +104 | 71 |
| 8 |  Bordeaux-Bègles | 26 | 14 | 12 | +103 | 70 |
| 9 |  Toulon | 26 | 12 | 13 | −106 | 59 |
| 10 |  Castres | 26 | 11 | 15 | −91 | 55 |
| 11 |  Lyon | 26 | 11 | 14 | −40 | 52 |
| 12 |  Bayonne | 26 | 11 | 15 | −122 | 51 |
| 13 |  Perpignan | 26 | 6 | 20 | −247 | 29 |
| 14 |  Montauban | 26 | 1 | 24 | −854 | 7 |
Montpellier
W5Five straight to close the regular season, and the manner matters as much as the run: three of those wins came on the road by a single score — 28–25 at Lyon, 36–33 at Castres, 23–21 at Bordeaux — exactly the kind of nerveless closing-out a side needs in June. The 59–7 mauling of Montauban flatters the points-for column, but the trend is real: Montpellier are clutch, well-drilled and have had two full weeks to rest while their semi-final opponents fought through a barrage. The bye is a genuine advantage, and they've earned it.
Stade Francais Paris
W3, L1The barrage was a statement: 45–5 over La Rochelle, a side that had beaten them 27–22 only the week before, with Stade Français scoring at will once the contest opened up. That avenged the regular-season loss and underlined the firepower in this Paris back line — 73 at Montauban, 59 past Lyon, 64 past Clermont earlier in the run. The caveat is the extra 80 minutes and the travel: they've played a knockout match in the last week while Montpellier rested, and they were comprehensively beaten 44–7 the last time these two met in Hérault. Dangerous and in-form, but carrying more miles into Marseille.
Head-to-Head Record
6 – 1 – 3
Montpellier wins · Draws · Stade Français wins (last 10 meetings)
Montpellier (6)
Montpellier own this rivalry over the past decade — six wins, a draw and three defeats in the last ten — and the scorelines when they win are often emphatic (44–7, 42–25, 38–6, 31–6). But this season split perfectly on home advantage: Stade Français won 35–12 in Paris in October, Montpellier won 44–7 in Hérault in January. That's the wrinkle for a neutral-venue knockout — neither side has its home comfort, and the home-and-away pattern that's defined recent meetings is removed. The 36-point swing between the two 2025/26 fixtures tells you how much the venue has mattered.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | Top 14 | Montpellier 44–7 Stade Français |
| Oct 2025 | Top 14 | Stade Français 35–12 Montpellier |
| Mar 2025 | Top 14 | Montpellier 38–32 Stade Français |
| Oct 2024 | Top 14 | Stade Français 29–20 Montpellier |
| Mar 2024 | Top 14 | Montpellier 10–12 Stade Français |
| Oct 2022 | Top 14 | Montpellier 23–19 Stade Français |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Across the last ten meetings Montpellier average roughly 28 to Stade Français' 21 — but strip out venue and it's far tighter. At home Montpellier are nearly unplayable in this fixture; away, they've lost the recent Paris trips. On neutral ground in Marseille, history offers little: this is effectively a reset.
Extended Form
MontpellierTop 14: 17W, 1D, 8L (2nd, 82 pts)
Signature wins: 44–14 over Toulouse, 41–17 over Racing 92, 44–7 over Stade Français, 62–22 over Bayonne, 37–13 over La Rochelle. Also reached the Challenge Cup knockouts (59–26 over Ulster, 45–22 over Connacht). Losses scattered across the season — Toulon, Toulouse (away 45–29), Clermont, Pau — but the second-half surge was relentless.
A genuinely outstanding regular season — second on the table, ahead of Stade Français, Pau and Racing, with a +237 difference and statement wins over Toulouse and Racing at home. They closed with five straight and a fortnight's rest. This is a Montpellier side peaking at exactly the right time, with a settled pack and a clutch streak in tight finishes that screams playoff-ready.
Stade Francais ParisTop 14: 15W, 1D, 10L (3rd) + barrage win
High-scoring throughout: 64–20 over Clermont, 59–17 over Lyon, 51–24 over Toulon, 73–25 at Montauban, plus the 45–5 barrage rout of La Rochelle. Losses to Toulouse (twice), Montpellier (44–7), Racing (47–20) and a Champions Cup pool exit. Capable of huge ceilings and the occasional heavy day.
Stade Français are the most explosive attack left in the competition — when they click, sides get buried by 40-plus. But the floor is lower than Montpellier's: that 44–7 in Hérault and the 47–20 at Racing show what happens when the forward battle goes against them. They've earned their place the hard way through the barrage, and they arrive with momentum and a settled side — but also with extra mileage in the legs.
Montpellier XV
Montpellier name a near full-strength side, captained by flanker Lenni Nouchi, after a fortnight's rest courtesy of their top-two finish. Mohamed Haouas anchors the scrum at tighthead with Baptiste Erdocio and Jordan Uelese completing the front row; Florian Verhaeghe and Tyler Duguid pack down at lock. Viliami Vunipola provides the carrying ballast at No. 8. Behind a settled halfback pairing of Alistair Price and Nicolás Miotti, the back line carries real threat through Arthur Vincent, Auguste Cadot and finishers Gabriel Ngandebe and Donovan Taofifenua, with Australian Tom Banks at fullback. Justo Piccardo offers a back-line spark off the bench.
Stade Francais Paris XV
Stade Français keep faith with the side that demolished La Rochelle in the barrage, making just one change up front: John Iscaro starts at loosehead with Moses Alo-Emile dropping to the bench. Lock Paul Gabrillagues captains, partnered in the engine room by Sacha Azagoh, with Yoan Tanga at No. 8. The decisive area is the back line: All Black Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Louis Carbonel run the show at halfback, with England's Joe Marchant and Jérémy Ward in a powerful midfield, Filipo Dakuwaqa's finishing on the wing and Léo Barré's footballing class at fullback. Continuity is the watchword after the barrage rout.
Key Matchups
The contest splits cleanly: Montpellier's edge is up front, Stade Français' is out wide. Mohamed Haouas and a powerful, set-piece-oriented Montpellier pack will look to turn this into an arm-wrestle, slow the tempo and feed Vunipola's carries — exactly the game-plan that produced the 44–7 in January. Stade Français want the opposite: quick ball for Kerr-Barlow and Carbonel to unleash a back line stacked with Test-class runners in Marchant, Ward, Dakuwaqa and Barré, the unit that put 45 on La Rochelle. Whoever wins the tempo battle wins the match. Montpellier's clutch closing and fresher legs are the swing factors; if they can keep it tight into the final quarter, the platform is theirs.
Match Forecast
The scorecard lands at +5 — close-game tier — and the logic is forwards-and-freshness against firepower. Montpellier finished above Stade Français, won five straight to close out (three by a single score on the road), and earned a fortnight's rest with their top-two bye while SFP had to grind through a barrage and the extra travel. Their set piece, anchored by Mohamed Haouas, is the platform that produced a 44–7 hammering of this same Paris side in January. If Montpellier can turn this into the arm-wrestle they thrive in and lean on Vunipola's carries, their clutch closing should see them home in a tight one.
The danger is obvious and it's Stade Français' back line. Kerr-Barlow and Carbonel orchestrating Marchant, Ward, Dakuwaqa and Barré is the most explosive attacking unit left in the competition — they put 45 on La Rochelle and 73 on Montauban, and on quick ball at a fast, dry Vélodrome they can blow any side away. Montpellier lost 35–12 in Paris this season, so the floor is real. This is a coin-flip that the bye, the set piece and the head-to-head nudge Montpellier's way — but if it becomes a track meet, Stade Français have the runners to flip it. Back the fresher, more physical side by a converted try, no more.
Montpellier by a score — their pack and fresher legs should drag Stade Français into the arm-wrestle, but the Paris back line makes this the tightest semi.