French champions Perpignan slumped to a shock 9-8 defeat at Italian side Benetton Treviso in Pool 1, leaving their Heineken Cup ambitions in tatters after just one match.

The Catalans were expected to be easy winners, even tipped to collect an attacking bonus, but their slipshod handling continually undermined them in Italy.

The French side entered the game having beaten Treviso six times over the previous three season, but it proved seventh time lucky for the unfancied Italians as a heroic second-half defensive display earned them a stunning win.

Two Marius Goosen penalties gave them a 6-0 half-time interval but Perpignan’s anticipated fightback after the interval failed to fully materialise.

Jérôme Porical reduced the arrears with a 52^nd-minute penalty and the full-back went on to score the game’s only try as the clock ticked down. There were only eight minutes remaining when he finally breached the stubborn Treviso defence, but the ensuing conversion was missed as Perpignan slipped to an unexpected defeat.

They will now have to somehow make up ground on Pool 1 rivals Munster and Northampton Saints if they are to have any real chance of progressing through to the knockout stages.

In-form Stade Francais had no such problems as they picked up an attacking bonus point against Edinburgh after putting them to the sword with a dazzling first-half display en route to a 31-7 win.

The Paris giants were 14-0 to the good after just nine minutes, courtesy of tries from winger Julien Arias and Italian captain Sergio Parisse, and they went on to add two more scores before the interval as they ran the Scottish defence ragged.

French internationals Pascal Pape and Lionel Beauxis both touched down, with the latter converting his own try after Julien Dupuy had done likewise with the initial three.

That all added up to a 28-0 interval lead, with the bonus point already safely in the bag.

Stade understandably eased off after the restart, although replacement scrum-half Noel Oelschig did extend their lead further with a 60^th-minute penalty.

Edinburgh maintained their attacking intent to the end and finally got themselves on the scoreboard when Ben Cairns crossed with seven minutes left, and Phil Godman kicked the extras, but it was too little too late for the Magners League outfit.

The win lifted Stade to the top of Pool 4 after Ulster beat Bath 26-12 on Friday night.

Clermont Auvergne also started off with a bonus-point win after seeing off a dogged Viadana 36-18 in Pool 3.

Seremaia Bai's opening-minute try set them on their way, with starting fly-half Brent Russell adding the second try just past the quarter hour mark. Scrum-half Morgan Parra kicked both conversions and a penalty as Clermont opened up a 17-3 advantage, but Viadana struck back through a brace of Garry Law penalties as they closed the gap 17-9 at half-time.

Law was on target again five minutes after the restart, but Vincent Debaty and Thibault Privat both added tries for the home side before Russell - now playing on the wing after Brock James' introduction - sealed the win with his second of the afternoon, and Clermont's fifth.

2006 runners-up Biarritz got their Pool 2 campaign off to an excellent start with a hard-fought 22-18 win away to Glasgow Warriors.

Former England international Magnus Lund grabbed the game's only try, early in the second-half, as the Basques continued their recent good form. Biarritz had gone into the match on the back of five successive league wins, but soon found themselves 9-0 down as three Dan Parks penalties put them on the back foot.

Dimitri Yachvili responded with a pair of his own, and drop-goals from Damien Traille and Marcelo Bosch ensured there was 12-12 parity at half-time.

Parks slotted his fourth successful kick straight after the restart but the game's key moment came on 48 minutes when Lund pounced to score after Glasgow had lost the ball on their own lineout just five meters out, with Yachvili adding the conversion to put Biarritz 19-15 up, and leading for the first time in the tie.

A Parks drop-goal reduced the gap down to a point, but Yachvili landed a superb penalty from the left touchline to keep the visitors ahead as their determined defence held out. Former Leicester player Ayoola Erinle made one try-saving tackle on Rob Dewey, and Biarritz even had the chance to add a late score of their own but Nicolas Brusque agonizingly couldn't pick up the grubber kick through.

France's other team in action on Saturday was Brive, but it was an unhappy return to the Heineken Cup for the former champions as they lost 24-12 away to Llanelli Scarlets.

Laurent Seigne's team stayed in touch during a physical first-half thanks to a trio of penalties from Andy Goode, but a late try from Lee Williams ensured the hosts went in 11-9 ahead. It was a similar story after the break with Stephen Jones adding a third penalty to his previous two in the first period, while Brive's replacement fly-half Luciano Orquera kicked three points for the visitors.

Substitute prop Rhys Thomas then sealed the win for Scarlets in the dying minutes when he was quickest to react after a Jones penalty rebounded back of the posts.

Brive's disappointment was compounded by the loss of their skipper and former Scarlets star Alix Popham following a crunching first-half tackle on Jonathan Davies. The latter was also forced to depart shortly after, but it was Brive who felt the loss more keenly as their made a losing return to Heineken duty after their 11-year absence.

It also maintained their indifferent to the 2009/10 season generally, with the Limousin club having now won just three times in 10 matches.