Dean Richards says Harlequins' 15-10 win over Stade Francais in Paris was one of the best results of his time in charge of the club.
Quins boss hails "hugely important" win
Dean Richards admitted that Harlequins' sensational 15-10 win over Stade Francais in Paris was one of the best results of his time in charge of the club.
The Londoners went three points clear at the top of pool four after a victory claimed in front of 76,569 spectators at the Stade de France.
The visitors owed their result to opportunistic finishing in the first half and heroic defence in the second.
And director of rugby Richards was quick to praise his young side.
Asked if it was the best result during his time at Quins, Richards said: "It is right up there.
"It is not just the defence we had but also the discipline. We could have given away penalty after penalty but we didn't. A lot of the boys grew up here.
"We most probably would have lost this game last year. It's a hugely important game and we played outstandingly well.
"We have a huge amount of talent, and there are young boys out there. They are growing up quickly and will learn from matches like this."
The pre-match entertainment at France's national stadium included a medieval parade, gymnastic firemen, dancers from the Moulin Rouge and even tamed eagles.
But Quins quickly became party poopers after they raced into a 12-0 lead by the 25th minute thanks to tries by Tom Williams and Jordan Turner-Hall, as well as Nick Evans' conversion.
With Danny Care sin-binned, Stade hit back with 10 points scored courtesy of through Juan Manuel Leguizamon's try and a conversion and penalty by his Argentina team-mate Juan Martin Hernandez.
Last-ditch defending
But after Evans had slotted home a penalty in the 67th minute, the visitors ground out the victory thanks to some last-ditch defending on their own line.
"We warned the boys as to what to expect and we had to maintain our focus," said Richards, whose side host Stade at the Stoop next weekend.
"The boys stood their ground and didn't give an inch, and we will have to do exactly the same next week. This is one game of two. Next week is equally as
important as this.
"The importance of this game isn't the 76,000 people and the circus around it. It's about doing the same thing next week. We have to back it up with a win at
the Stoop and by getting through the group.
"But they will come back, they will feel wounded and will have all their guns blazing."
Quins captain Will Skinner added: "We didn't win a game (in the Heineken Cup) last year but we gained a lot of experience.
"We learned a lot and we are now winning these games when they are close at the end.
"People will have to start noticing us with the performances we are putting in."
Like Harlequins, Stade Francais came into the match with two victories but they now face an uphill struggle to qualify.
A defeat in London next week would all but end their campaign.
Stade coach Fabrice Landreau said: "We lacked the intensity to win this match and we dropped too many balls.
"It's really disappointing to lose but we will try to find the answers and get back into the tournament.
"It will be complicated now but we must keep our heads up."
