Top 14: Morne Steyn sent off as Stade Francais fall to defeat at Lyon
Last Updated: 02/01/15 10:57pm
A first-half moment of madness from South Africa fly-half Morne Steyn gave Top 14 leaders Stade Francais an uphill battle they could not overcome as they lost 12-9 at Lyon.
Steyn, in his first start of the season for Stade, had opened with a fifth-minute 40-metre penalty and a tidy drop goal to give the visitors at the Matmut Stadium a 6-0 lead on Friday night.
But after Mosese Ratuvou had cut the deficit with the night's opening try for Lyon, Steyn saw red in the 31st minute for kicking the Fijian winger on the ground after the two had a tussle.
The dismissal of the 30-year-old fly half, who was top-scorer at the 2011 World Cup, left Stade with a mountain to climb as they tried to extend their run of back-to-back victories going into the game.
Lyon pressed and pressed and eventually their sustained pressure saw them score in the 50th minute following a flowing passage of play.
Ratuvou claimed his second try, cutting in off the wing to take a pass from Ricky Januarie to force his way through. Jerome Porical converted to give them a 12-6 lead.
Stade's replacement fly-half Jules Plisson, who kicked a perfect six from six in their 30-6 victory over champions Toulon last Sunday, kept his side in the hunt with a well-struck, long-distance penalty on the hour mark.
He had a chance to level the match with 10 minutes left but pulled his penalty wide of the posts as Lyon, who have lost just one of their last 25 home games, claimed a second successive Top 14 win to add to their 16-13 victory over third-placed Clermont last weekend.
The bonus-point defeat leaves Stade with just a three-point advantage at the top of the league table over Toulon, who travel to play Montpellier on Saturday. Watch that match live on Sky Sports 1 from 3.35pm.
Lyon, meanwhile, move up three places into ninth with their seventh victory of the season.
