European Rugby Challenge Cup Final: Gloucester v Stade Francais

This Friday’s Challenge Cup Final between Gloucester and Stade Francais at BT Murrayfield will mark the eighth Anglo-French final, with English Premiership clubs securing five wins to the two registered by the TOP 14 (kick-off 8pm – live on Sky Sports / BT Sport / beIN Sports / FR4). BUY TICKETS | Challenge Cup FinalThe fixture doubles up as Gloucester Rugby’s 75th tournament match and their third Challenge Cup final appearance; with the English Premiership side aiming to continue their 100% record following previous Challenge Cup wins over London Irish in 2006 and Edinburgh Rugby in 2015.Stade Francais however will be hoping to make it a third time lucky at BT Murrayfield having lost their two previous tournament finals in 2011 and 2013.More than this, the French side will also be bidding to become the 15th club to lift the trophy – the seventh from France – and will equal the final appearance record for TOP 14 clubs as Bougoin and ASM Clermont have also reached the decider on three occasions.TEAM STATSFor Gloucester, Scotland internationalist Greig Laidlaw has racked up 184 points and is closing in on the club’s all-time leading Challenge Cup points scorer, Ludovic Mercier, who has 196; while Stade’s all-time leading Challenge Cup points scorer, Jules Plisson, has 134.Previous Gloucester captain, Billy Twelvetrees, who scored a try in the 2015 win over Edinburgh Rugby, could make history and become the first player to score a try in two Challenge Cup finals – if he makes it over the whitewash on Friday evening.Italy captain Sergio Parisse, who is likely to lead his side against Gloucester, captained both of Stade’s losing sides, which included wing Julien Arias, who also played in the 2005 European Cup final in Edinburgh.Like Arias, Stade’s Julien Dupuy could also feature in his fourth European final as the scrum-half was on the losing side in both Challenge Cup deciders, and was also a runner-up with Leicester Tigers in the 2009 European Cup final at BT Murrayfield.