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The 29-year-old moved to Headingley this summer and is delighted to be given another chance to face in the French giants in the pool stages of this season's Amlin Challenge Cup.
"It's a great draw for the club and the fans. Stade Francais are one of the best known teams in world rugby," said Stephenson, after Leeds were drawn alongside the 2001 and 2005 Heineken Cup runners up in Pool 4.
"It will be good to go back to Paris but hopefully it will be a better game than my last visit. I went there with Bath last season but the game was played in horrendous conditions and the pitch was terrible so it turned into a kicking battle.
"However, it was a great experience. They took us to Roland Garros, where the French Open tennis is played, for the post-match function and that was something completely different from what you normally experience."
And while Stephenson is already looking forward to a fearsome trip to one of the world's most-renowned cities, the former Newcastle wing expects Stade Francais to be an equally tough prospect when the two sides meet in Yorkshire.
"The old adage about French clubs not travelling well in this competition is not true anymore," added Stephenson.
"You only need to look at Toulon last season and the crowd they attracted for the Final in Marseille to see how important the Amlin Challenge Cup has become.
"A few years ago at Bath we lost to Clermont Auvergne in the Challenge Cup Final and they used that season as a stepping stone to build up their confidence for their domestic competition and the Heineken Cup."
An Amlin Challenge Cup winner with Bath in 2008, Stephenson knows exactly what European glory tastes like.
And with Leeds having secured their Guinness Premiership status in some style last season, Stephenson knows that European rugby is even more important to his new team this time around, even if the likes of Stade will fancy their own chances of following Cardiff Blues in lifting the Amlin Challenge Cup.
"European weeks bring a different atmosphere to the squad. You are playing against players who you do not know too much about or going to places that you have not been to before. I have spoken to a few of the lads about their trip to Bucharest last season and that will be something new for me next season.
"The game against Stade will be a great occasion especially at Headingley Carnegie and if you can get through the pool stage you know you are only three games away from winning silverware and that is a great carrot for the players and supporters.
"Because of the competition for the limited Heineken Cup spots in the Guinness Premiership and the French Top 14, the fact that you can get into the top tier by winning the Amlin Challenge Cup is a massive motivator for clubs and I am sure that Stade Francais will see themselves as favourites to win next year's competition."
