Brent Russell's
24th-minute try proved decisive as Clermont Auvergne
downed 17-time champions Stade Toulousain at a sold
out Stade Marcel Michelin.
The South African scored
the game's only try in a match otherwise dominated by the
boots of Brock James (four penalties and one conversion) and
Stade duo Frédéric
Michalak (three penalties) and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (one
pen).
The win lifted Clermont up
to second - behind leaders Perpignan - while Toulouse boss
Guy Noves was left to contemplate s tough start to the new
campaign that has already seen his star-studded squad taste
defeat twice - away to both Clermont and Perpignan.
Top 14 Table 2009/10
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Top 14 try-scorers 2009/10
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Top 14 Transfers
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Top 14
Fixtures 2009/10
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At the other end of the
table big-spending Stade
Francais have slipped into the Top 14 relegation zone after
slipping to their third defeat of the season - this time
going down 30-22 away to Biarritz.
Ewen McKenzie's team have
won just once in their opening five games, and this defeat
was the second of a difficult week following their 35-40
reverse at home to Montauban on Wednesday.
Biarritz outscored them by
three tries to one, and even looked set to pick up the
attacking bonus before an 84th-minute penalty try robbed
them at the death.
The Basques have had their
own traumas so far this campaign - with three defeats from
four before today - but tries from Fijian winger Ilikena
Bolakoro, Tongan flanker Samiu Vahafolau and American winger
Takudzwa Ngwenya lifted them to a well deserved victory.
Stade's response came via
the combined boots of fly-half Noel Oelschig (two drop-goals
and a penalty) and scrum-half Julien Dupuy (two penalties
and conversion), before their late, late penalty try.
There was also last-minute
drama at Montauban as a
Cédric Rosalen penalty condemned Toulon to their
first defeat of the season after going down 21-18 in a tense
encounter at the Stade Sapiac. The home side's latest
win completed an excellent week for Marc Raynaud's side
following their surprise win in Paris on Wednesday.
Montauban outscored Toulon by two
tries to nil, with Julian Raynaud (8th minute) and Vilimoni
Delasau (51st minute) both touching down. The home side
should have been out of sight after Delasau's score, but
Rosalen missed five attempts at goal, allowing Toulon's
Sébastien Fauqué - playing in place of the rested Jonny
Wilkinson -to keep them in the game with five of his
own successful penalty kicks.
A sixth from Barnard
brought the visitors level at 18-18 just five minutes from
time, but Rosalen kept his best until last and sealed
another excellent win for Montauban when he landed the
penalty that mattered most with the game's final kick.
Toulon's first defeat
enabled defending champions Perpignan to assume top
spot for the first time this season following their 18-14
win away to Racing-Métro 92.
The Catalans had to work
hard for their victory, however, after slipping to an 11-0
deficit in the opening half hour as Racing took the game by
the scruff of the neck. Number eight Sébastien Chabal was
very much to the fore with a series of typically robust
runs, and fly-half Andrew Mehrtens landed two early
penalties to help seize the initiative.
When Henry Chavancy then
went over for the game's opening try after 26 minutes it
seemed a famous win could be on the cards for the Paris
club, but Mehrtens missed the conversion and Jerome Porical
- playing his first game since last year's Top 14 final -
then slotted two kicks in six minutes to narrow the gap.
Then, with half-time
beckoning, Perpignan got back on level terms when Nicolas
Durand touched down for the visitors.
Racing had won their
previous 24 home games but Mehrtens missed two more
penalties soon after the restart as they allowed crucial
points to slip by. Perpignan centre Maxime Mermoz continued
the sway in momentum when he scored the champions' second
try on 55 minutes, with Porical's conversion giving them a
seven-point cushion.
The latter then suffered
his own wayward streak, missing with two penalties and an
attempted drop-goal as Catalan failed to close the game
down.
Racing substitute Fabien
Fortassin brought them back to within four points when he
succeeded with a 40-metre penalty six minutes from time, but
a second attempt three minutes later flew wide as hopes of a
late win evaporated.
The result leaves
Perpignan in top spot - temporarily at least, pending Stade
Toulousain's game at Clermont Auvergne - but Racing will
take heart from another strong performance that did at least
gain them a defensive bonus.
Elsewhere there were
convincing home wins for Castres, Brive and Bayonne as
results went to form.
A late penalty-try for
Castres secured them a bonus-point home win against
Montpellier as they returned to action following two
postponed games and a fortnight off due to the squad being
hit by the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.
Coaches Laurent Labit and
Laurent Travers must have been delighted as they eased past
Montpellier 33-18, with fly-half Romain Teulet taking
the man-of-the-match accolade as he racked up 23 points.
Teulet was on target with
four penalties and three conversions, one of which added the
extras to his own 50th-minute try. Former All Black Chris
Masoe got Castres' other try as they made it three wins from
three to maintain their perfect league start.
Montpellier's defeat was
their third on the road this season, and didn't come as a
huge surprise given their earlier decision to rest both
Fulgence Ouedraogo and Francois Trinh-Duc.
Brive also picked
up a winning bonus after running in five unanswered tries as
they beat bottom of the table SCA Albi 39-6.
South African centre
Ronnie Cooke was first over the line after 23 minutes, with
Brive going on to dominate after the break as they added
four more scores, including a double from flanker Antoine
Claassen. Winger Horacio Agulla and England centre Jamie
Noon also scored - the latter his first for the club since
signing from Newcastle Falcons.
Fly-half Luciano Orquera
added two penalties and three conversions to give the score
added gloss, as Brive recorded their first win since their
opening-day 30-9 home victory against Montpellier.
Albi, by contrast, have
now lost all four of their league games to date in their
first season back in Top 14, and also had three players
yellow-carded as their individual discipline broke down.
Bayonne were the
day's highest scorers, running a tired looking Bourgoin
ragged as they won 53-6 at the Stade Jean Dauger. The
Basques clocked up seven tries with Pepito Elhorga, Julien
Peyras and Benjamin Fall all grabbing doubles. The latter's
was his second of the season and lifted him top of the
try-scoring charts with four.
Kiwi prop Ross Filipo
scored Bayonne's other try, with scrum-half Benjamin Arrayet
kicking 14 points via two penalties and four conversions.
Bourgoin simply had no
answer as they were completely outplayed from start to
finish - but their heroics had occurred earlier in the week
with their two home wins against Biarritz and Racing-Métro
92.
