mens
top-14
Ex Leicester Tigers and Harlequins boss Paul Gustard will remain in charge of Stade Français until at least 2029 after agreeing a two-year extension to his contract, which was set to expire at the end of this season.
exEngland Assistant coach Gustard has overseen a remarkable turnaround in Stade’s fortunes since becoming head coach at Stade Jean-Bouin in October 2024, two years after joining the club.
He took over the club as they battled relegation following the sacking of Karim Ghezal, led them to safety and last season they finished third in Top 14 before losing 25-15 to Montpellier in the semi-finals.
Stade had a one-year option on Gustard, who also trained at Saracens and Treviso, for next season, but owner Hans-Peter Wild has now agreed a two-year extension.
Gustard said The team at the start of the season, with Stade having started their campaign with two wins and two losses in four games, that he has high ambitions for his time with Les Stadistes.
“I have a goal. To win the title. If not, I will experience it as a failure. Even if I am aware of the difficulty of the Top 14, which increases every season, where anyone can beat each of the other thirteen teams.
“I repeat. It’s a matter of mentality and consistency. The more we have, the more likely we are to succeed. We have the ability. I believe in my players. It’s a matter of mentality and consistency.
“Winning the title remains the ultimate goal. I come from teams that have won trophies. It’s been a long time since that happened to me. To win the title, you must win Toulouse in the semi-final or final. For that, it will be necessary to win more than 30 points. They always do.
“When I came to Paris, I tried to adopt this French-style game mentality, while still keeping the orderly side of the English mentality. Today, I believe my team has a good balance between madness and pragmatism,” he said.