Andrew calls for rethink after wing-clipping

Stade Francais 48 Newcastle 8: France's domination over England this season prompted the Newcastle director of rugby, Rob Andrew…

Stade Francais 48 Newcastle 8: France's domination over England this season prompted the Newcastle director of rugby, Rob Andrew, as he surveyed the wreckage of his team's first excursion into the knockout stage of the European Cup on Saturday, to warn that nothing is likely to improve until Premiership clubs can compete with their counterparts across the Channel on a more equal financial footing.

Stade's wing-clipping of the Falcons followed Toulouse's demolition of Northampton the previous night. The two matches produced a try count of 11-1 against the Premiership sides, and English clubs have won only five of 16 European Cup contests against French opposition this season.

Together with France's Six Nations victory at Twickenham in February, the European record illustrates the decline of the English game since Jonny Wilkinson - who did not play on Saturday after failing a fitness test in the morning - dropped the winning goal in the 2003 World Cup final.

"It was men against boys," said Andrew. "It may be that England and the clubs are having to start again, looking at the quality of players coming through the system, but we cannot compete financially with the leading French clubs.

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"They have playing budgets two or three times greater than English clubs, who have to keep to a salary cap. There are moves to raise the cap to allow us to enlarge our squads, but we are in an increasingly competitive market."

Stade have clearly benefited from the deep pockets of their multi-millionaire president Max Guazzini, who on Saturday reflected that when the club was formed 10 years ago, it attracted a mere six paying punters to its first match.

"We sold out today, playing before our biggest crowd in a club match," he said. "It shows how rugby in Paris is booming."

The attendance was 45,000.

Both clubs fielded teams made up of six nationalities and, like Stade, Newcastle have come a long way in a short time. However, some 3,000 of their supporters sat in silence for the most part, buoyed only by Matt Burke's try nine minutes from time.

It was well worked, with the England under-21 secondrow Geoff Parling, who had an impressive afternoon, playing a significant part, but Stade dominated territorially and got the ball away from the breakdown quickly.

With Newcastle missing too many first-up tackles, the result was never in question once the hooker Mathieu Blin had scored his second try on 18 minutes.

STADE FRANCAIS: Sarramea; Arias, Glas, Liebenberg, Poulain; Skrela (King, 67), Pichot (Fillol, 72); Marconnet, Blin (Kayser, 51), De Villiers (Roncero, 39), Auradou (capt; Jechoux 70), James (Brouzet, 54), Mauro Bergamasco (Rabadan, 56), Martin, Sowerby. Tries: Sarramea 3, Blin 2, Poulain, Arias. Cons: Skrela 3, Liebenberg 2. Pen: Skrela.

NEWCASTLE: Burke; May, Noon (capt), Mayerhofler, Stephenson (Tait 60); Walder (Flood, 78), Charlton (Grindal 63); Isaacson (Wilson 31), Long, Ward (Thompson 49), Parling (Gross 77), Grimes, McCarthy (Taione 55), Harris, Dowson. Try: Burke. Pen: Burke. Sin-bin: Taione, 71.

Referee: A Rolland (Ireland)