Directly through to semi-finals:
Perpignan and Toulon

Quarter-finals (May 7/8):
Clermont Auvergne v Racing-Métro 92
Stade Toulousain v Castres

Relegated:
SCA Albi and Bayonne (if Montauban do not win their appeal against administrative relegation by the DNACG)

French heavyweights Stade Toulousain and Clermont Auvergne both secured home quarter-finals in the Top 14 play-offs after crucial last-day wins, while crisis club Montauban managed a stay of execution after beating relegation rivals Bayonne 22-8.

The latter result enabled Montauban to leapfrog Bayonne into 12^th slot and provisionally send the Basques down to ProD2 next season in company with basement club SCA Albi. But the picture is confused somewhat by the DNACG’s earlier decision to relegate Montauban on financial grounds, pending an appeal.

That appeal now takes on enormous significance with club president Patrick Vianco trying to cobble together a financial rescue package with two banks in order to come up with the €1.7m deficit in the club’s budget for this season.

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

Should the appeal prove successful then Montauban will stay in Top 14 and Bayonne drop down, but that outcome could also be reversed if the DNACG is not satisfied. Their decision will be made within the next fortnight.

But Bayonne’s players will have only themselves to blame should the guillotine eventually confirm their relegation, with the Basques latest defeat their 17^th of a troubled season. Only Albi (22) have lost more, and yet they will go down with the league’s lead try scorer in their midst after South African speedster Sam Gerber claimed his ninth of the season on Saturday.

Should the appeal prove successful then Montauban will stay in Top 14 and Bayonne drop down, but that outcome could also be reversed if the DNACG is not satisfied. Their decision will be made within the next fortnight.

But Bayonne’s players will have only themselves to blame should the guillotine eventually confirm their relegation, with the Basques latest defeat their 17^th of a troubled season. Only Albi (22) have lost more, and yet they will go down with the league’s lead try scorer in their midst after South African speedster Sam Gerber claimed his ninth of the season on Saturday.

It was still not enough to see off the hosts, however, with Marc Raynaud’s Montauban roared on by a passionate sell out crowd at the Stade Sapiac. An 18^th-minute try from winger Jean-Emmanuel Cassin set them on their way, with scrum-half Julien Audy also helping their cause by kicking three penalties.

The home side were already 17-8 ahead by the time replacement Johan Dalla Riva went over in the last minute to seal the win, an at least earn his team-mates a temporary reprieve.

The picture is more clear cut at the top, however, with defending champions Perpignan and in-form Toulon securing the two byes through to the semi-finals after both won at the weekend.

Toulon scrambled a 26-23 away win at Brive to end the regular season with a ninth successive league win, but they were still pipped to first place after Perpignan ran in six unanswered tries in their 44-0 demolition of basement club SCA Albi.

Argentine lock Rimas Alvarez-Kairelis began the rout with his seventh-minute opening try and there were further scores fro Jerome Porical and Gregory Le Corvec before the break. Flanker Le Corvec doubled up soon after the restart, with Jean-Philippe Grandclaude and Phillip Burger also grabbing tries as the Catalans finished in style. Porical added three conversions and two penalties to complete a 17-point haul, with Perpignan’s attacking bonus just budging them ahead of Toulon in the standings.

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson watched the bench (due to a sore calf) as Toulon continued their superb run of wins with a hard-fought 26-23 victory at Brive.

The home side started the brighter and were 10-3 ahead after quarter of an hour thanks to a try from full-back Scott Spedding and five points from the boot of France international Alexis Palisson.

A Fabien Cibray drop-goal and two Felipe Contepomi penalties edged Toulon back into contention, but Fabrice Estebanez replied with a pair penalties for Brive as the Limousin club – chasing seventh spot – went in 16-9 ahead at half-time.

The introduction of Toulon duo Joe van Niekerk and Pierre Mignoni changed the match after the break and it was the latter’s break which set up winger Gabriele Lovobalavu for his 50^th-minute try. Contepomi’s conversion left it all square at 16-16 before former rugby league international Sonny Bill Williams muscled in to give Toulon the lead with 18 minutes left.

Argentine Contepomi – standing in for Wilkinson – was on target again with the conversion and a later penalty – taking his match tally to 13 points – while Leicester bound fellow Puma Horacio Agulla gave Brive late hope with a 75^th-minute try that ensured a tense finale. Luciano Orquera’s conversion reduced the deficit to just three points, but Toulon held out for yet another impressive win.

The defeat also spelt the end of Brive’s hopes of Heineken Cup rugby next season as they failed to overhaul seventh-placed Biarritz.

The Basques – who had half an eye on next weekend’s Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster – lost 19-26 at home to Clermont Auvergne, but did just enough to earn the defensive bonus which saw them retain seventh spot. They now have two possible entries into next season’s Heineken Cup – either by winning it this season, or by hoping that Stade Toulousain so, and thereby earn France a seventh entry.

The kickers dominated the early proceedings at the Parc des Sports Aguilera before Clermont’s Napolioni Nalaga touched down on 22 minutes. Fly-half Brock James then added the conversion and a brace of penalties to leave the visitors 16-6 ahead at the break.

Biarritz scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili brought the home side to life after the break when he followed his second penalty with his own converted try on 47 minutes, and at that stage the match was evenly poised at 16-16.

But it was Clermont who finished the stronger despite late yellow cards for both Lionel Faure and Loic Jacquet, with Fijian Nalaga grabbing his second try of the match on 62 minutes to seal the precious away win that guaranteed ‘Les Jaunards’ home advantage against Racing-Metro in the quarters.

Stade Toulousain also secured a home tie after their 25-17 victory against Castres at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

The Heineken Cup semi-finalists scored three tries through Vilimoni Delasau – his first since signing recently from Montauban – Cedric Heymans and Finau Maka, while Castres could only manage one in reply courtesy of Romain Cabannes. Full-back Romain Teulet kicked the rest of his side’s points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent them slipping to a fourth defeat in five and condemn to a repeat fixture (Stade Toulousain away) in the other play-off quarter-final.

Elsewhere, England sevens international Ollie Phillips scored his fifth and sixth league tries of the season as Stade Francais eased past an understrength Racing-Métro 44-17 in the Paris derby.

Stade took full advantage of Racing’s decision to rest key players ahead of the play-offs, with Pierre Berbizier opting to give the day off to Sebastien Chabal, Lionel Nallet, Francois Steyn and Jacques Cronje.

Phillips was first to cash in when he touched down on nine minutes, and there were further scores from Romain Raine, Phillips again, Lionel Beauxis and Ignacio Mieres as Stade at least ended a desperate season on a winning note. Greg Goosen and Jone Qovu both managed replies for Racing, but their interest clearly lay elsewhere as they looked ahead to the play-offs that Stade have missed out for the first time in nine years.

Saturday’s other match saw Montpellier beat Bourgoin 34-27 in an entertaining encounter between two teams which secured their own Top 14 survival with victories last weekend.

A trio of Federico Todeschini penalties and a try from winger Manoel Dall-Ignatius helped Montpellier take the eary initiative, but Bourgoin fought back through a penalty try and eight points from the Alberto Do Bernardo’s boot as it was all square 13-13 at the break.

Dall-Ignatius then scored his second try of the afternoon three minutes after the restart, with number eight Marc Giraud and France fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc following in son after as Montpol surged 34-13 ahead after 53 minutes/

Late tries from Romanian flanker Bogdan Leonte and substitute Sebastien Laloo cut the deficit, but Montpellier stayed clear to end their season with a third successive win.