so Far So Good - Stoica

The French side are enjoying their best-ever year, competing for the first time in the top flight of the French Championship, and battling their way to the final of the Parker Pen Shield and a date with Italian side Viadana.

'It's great for the club to be in the Parker Pen Shield final. It's our first year in the top flight of French rugby and so far, so good,' said Stoica.

And it will be particularly pleasurable for Stoica to head to the Italian city of Parma for the final.

Romanian-born Stoica has represented the Azzuri more than 50 times and has become a cult figure in his adopted home nation.

'It will be great for me in particular to play the final in Italy. I will see some of my friends from the Italian team and an Italian crowd.

'Parma is not very far from Viadana so the opposition will almost have a home crowd but that's not a problem for us - the ground will be full which will make for a super occasion.'

Montpellier have beaten three Italian sides to progress to the showpiece final, but Stoica is taking threat of Viadana seriously, saying: 'Viadana are a very good team who have had a good run in this competition. I'd say we were 50/50 for the match.

'We have played all Italian sides so we know the Italian Championship well by now - Roma, then Petrarca, Leonessa and now Viadana.'

The former Castres, Gloucester and Narbonne player has the experience to help his side through what is likely to be a highly charged occasion with a partisan crowd.

'Along with my team-mate Laurent Arbo, I played in last year's Shield final for Castres against Caerphilly so I will try to pass on a bit of that experience to the rest of the team.

'There is a real desire amongst the players to lift this title - there is an objective to aim for and a European final to be won.'