Defending champions Perpignan put down a significant marker for the play-offs as they won 17-11 at Castres on Saturday night.

The victory was built on first-half tries from from Farid Sid (after eight minutes) and Henry Tuilagi (33), with the latter crucially scored while Perpignan were down to 14 men after Ovidiu Tonita's yellow card.

Full-back Jerome Porical knocked over both conversions to earn them a 14-8 half-time lead after Mathieu Nicolas had replied with a try for the hosts.

Romain Teulet missed that conversion, but did bring Castres back to within three points after a penalty either side of half time, but Catalan fly-half Gavin Hume added a drop-goal after 58 minutes to seal the win.

Castres three everything they had at Perpignan in the closing stages as they fought to defend their unbeaten home record this season, but the Catalan outfit defended stoutly to register only their fourth away win the in the league all season.

Elsewhere, five of the six teams are now confirmed for the Top 14 play-offs, but the scramble for the final slot looks likely to run until the last game of a dramatic season.

Top 14 Table  / Top 14 try-scorers / Top 14 Results / Top 14 Fixtures

Victories for Stade Toulousain (28-23 at home to Racing-Métro on Friday) and Toulon (31-13 at home to Bayonne) finally secured their combined presence, adding to those already qualified from last weekend in the shape of Clermont Auvergne, Perpignan and Castres.

The one remaining slot, however, is now a three-horse race after results combined to leave both Biarritz and Brive within striking distance of faltering Racing. The Parisians remain in pole position, but their advantage is now down to just three points, and their next opponents are Biarritz when they visit the capital on April 17.

And Stade Francais can't be ruled out totally just yet after they ended their three-match losing streak with a 19-10 'home' win against Clermont Auvergne at the Stade de France.

The Parisians looked doomed when France prop Thomas Domingo muscled over for the Clermont after just three minutes, but they responded impressively to claim three of their own in return before the half-time whistle.

Hooker Dimitri Szarzewski was first over after Noel Oeslchig's quick tap and go caught the visitors' defence cold. Australia-bound centre Mark Gasnier then ran in try number two on 17 minutes before Szarzewski doubled up just before the break after being pushed over by his dominant forwards.

The match lost intensity in the second period as both sides appeared to throttle back with Heineken Cup quarterfinals to come next weekend. Stade were still searching for the attacking bonus to bolster their slim play-off hopes, and Clermont for the defensive one to boost their top two aspirations, but in the end neither was forthcoming as it petered out 19-10.

The result means Clermont missed the chance to move top - leaving that honour with Toulon for the time being - while Stade closed to within seven points of sixth-placed Racing.

That still leaves them four points adrift of Biarritz, who warmed up for their own Heineken Cup quarterfinal in positive fashion as they ran-in five first half tries en-route to a crushing 42-13 victory against demoted and dispirited Montauban.

American speedster Takudzwa Ngwenya began the rout with tries in the 17th and 25th minutes, before the Basques went over three more times in an action-packed final 10 minutes to the half. Scott Murray's 30th-minute yellow card put Montauban further on the back foot before Damien Traille broke through for the home team's third score.

Two minutes later a minor fracas resulted in Biarritz's Rudi Coetzee and Montauban's Grégory Arganese both seeing yellow, with the visitors' flanker Romaine Sazy shown a straight red. The final five minutes saw 14-man Biarritz run in two more tries against 12-man Montauban, with Australian Karmichael Hunt and number eight Florian Faure both going over, while Dimitri Yachvili added his fourth and fifth conversions.

Biarritz took their foot off the pedal after the break and 14-man Montauban rallied to score two tries in four minutes - through substitutes Mirko Lozupone and Felix Le Bourhis - before Julien Peyrelongue's late reply ensured they didn't cough up the attacking bonus.

Ngwenya marked a mixed match by being yellow carded nine minutes from time, but Biarritz got exactly what they wanted - a five points and a positive performance.

The defeat for Montauban, however, completed a black week, during which it was announced by the DNACG that the club would be relegated on financial grounds after a budget shortfall of €1.7m.

Montauban have already lodged an appeal but they look doomed to demotion after an emergency meeting petered out without resolution Friday night. Club president Patrick Vianco and Montauban mayor Brigitte Barèges sat down with Daniel Havis - president of Matmut, the club's main sponsor - but unfortunately the three parties could not agree on a proposed rescue package. 

Brive also got the attacking bonus after a hard-fought 25-15 home win against relegation-threatened Bourgoin.

A tetchy opening period saw three points apiece for Alexis Palisson and Benjamin Boyet as both sides felt each other out, but ill-discipline cost Bourgoin dear as number eight Yann Labrit and winger Jean-François Coux were sin-binned within five minutes of each other. Brive took full advantage to slot a second penalty and then surge over for a Gerhard Vosloo try, but the Brive flanker then became the third player to pick up a yellow when he took the man without the ball just one minute later.

Boyet kicked the resultant penalty and added another to leave them 13-9 down, but Brive winger Ronnie Cooke grabbed the home teams second try just before the break after good work from Fabrice Estebanez and Shaun Perry.

Home hooker Steve Thompson became the fourth yellow card of the first half when he was sin-binned for some argy-bargy on 37 minutes, with Boyet's penalty leaving it 18-12. The Bourgoin fly-half narrowed the gap further with his fifth success after the restart, but Brive finally wrapped up the win - and the attacking bonus - when continued 5m pressure eventually brought a penalty try just eight minutes from time.

In-form Toulon, meanwhile, made it seven wins from seven as they beat battling Bayonne 31-13.

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson had an indifferent afternoon with the boot - kicking only four out of nine attempts - but Toulon still picked up the attacking bonus thanks to a try in each half from winger Gabriele Lovobalavu (2) and a late score from replacement scrum-half Fabien Cibray.

There was also a yellow card for Tana Umaga in what was his last home league game in front of th Stade Mayol faithful, while former Toulon fly-half Sebastien Fauqué kicked eight of Bayonne's 13 points. The others came from a Dwayne Haare try early in the second half, but Bayonne were already 26-6 down by then.

The Basques dropped down to 13th as a result of their latest defeat, although Montauban's plight means they are likely to be spared relegation even if they stay there until the end of the season - although nothing's guaranteed.

Down at the other end, Montpellier ran riot at home to already-relegated SCA Albi, securing their first attacking bonus of the season as they ran in nine tries to rout the basement club 62-17.

Returning France fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc was instrumental throughout, playing a guiding hand in several of Montpol's tries before finally going over himself early in the second half. The hosts - who started the day in 13th spot - were on top from the very first attack of the game, with winger Benjamin Thiery roaring in for their opening try. Four minutes later his wing colleague Thierry Brana did likewise, with Georgian prop Mamuka Gorgodze claiming the third after some brutal forward play.

All this in the opening quarter of an hour - and it didn't get much better for the visitors as they extended their losing run to nine on the trot.

Argentine Full-back Federico Todeschini scored Montpellier's fourth try on 23 minutes, adding the conversion and a subsequent penalty for good measure as the home team surged 27-0 up after just 23 minutes.

Albi sub Saula Radidi did manage a try back for the away team just before the half hour, but Montpol hit them with another try double right at the start of the second half. Trinh-Duc went over to round off an 80m counter in the 42nd minute and prop Sébastien Petit added their sixth shortly after.

Albi scrum-half Sebastien Pages scrambled over for the away side as Montpellier briefly relaxed, but Gorgodze's second of the match took them within a whisker of their half century with more than 20 minutes still left to play.

The Georgian almost saw them past it, but was narrowly denied his third of the afternoon before Trinh-Duc (who else?) scored Montpellier's eighth try - and his fifth of the season. The French No 10 added the conversion, and was on target again just before the end when Jean-Mathieu Alcalde stole in for their ninth and final score.