Top 14: Five-try Bourgoin condemn doomed Dax to tenth successive league defeat

Bourgoin 43 (15) Dax 6 (3)

Doomed Dax took a step nearer relegation to Pro D2 after they were hammered 43-6 by fellow strugglers Bourgoin at the Stade Pierre Rajon.

The defeat was Dax's 10th in a row in Top 14, making them the third side - after Toulon in 2005/6 and FC Auch Gers last season - to lose 10 on the spin in France's top flight. On both previous occasions the teams which suffered were relegated.

And after three relatively close defeats this one was humiliation, conceding five tries - including three in the last eight minutes - as Thomas Lièvremont's team capitulated.

Top 14 Table

Bourgoin, by contrast, were delighted after recording back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Their try-fest was also something of a revelation as they had managed just seven in their previous 10 home games this season - the worst record in Top 14.

But following last week's 22-3 downing of Montpellier they have now lifted themselves up to 10th position courtesy of their bonus point trouncing, leaving them 10 points clear of 13th-placed Dax.

A tense opening gave no hint of the mayhem to follow and the scoreboard didn't start ticking until the 16th minute when Benjamin Boyet landed a Bourgoin penalty to put the home team ahead.

His Dax counterpart Antoine Vignau-Tuquet had already spurned a 40m effort moments earlier, and the visitors slipped further behind when full-back Florian Denos opened Bourgoin's try account midway through the opening period, although Lièvremont was furious that the referee didn't blow for a clear forward pass in the build up. Such is the way your luck runs when you're down and nearly out.

Boyet missed the conversion, and a later penalty attempt, but Bourgoin went further ahead just before the break when Mathieu Nicolas went over for try number two after further good work by Denos. This time Boyet did add the extras, although Vignau-Tuquet reduced the arrears right on the stroke of half-time when he finally landed a penalty.

At 15-3 there was still hope for the visitors if they could get early points after the restart, but a Boyet drop-goal in the opening minute extended Bourgoin's advantage and appeared to take the wind from Dax's sails.

Vignau-Tuquet did manage a second kick to make it 18-6, but that was as good as it got for the demoralized visitors.

Matthias Viazzo (Bourgoin) and Duncan Bell (Dax) both saw yellow after 54 minutes, but France international Morgan Parra slotted the resultant penalty and a second eight minutes later to put the hosts 24-6 clear.

With time running out Bourgoin continued to dominate as they went in search of the third try to secure a bonus point, eventually going over with eight minutes remaining when David Janin touched down.

Dax's heads then went down, and with the match already lost and no end to their miserable run in sight Yann David and Jean-Francois Coux both added tries in the closing minutes.

It all added up to a 43-6 demolition - a harsh scoreline in truth, but a true reflection of their current problems.