Top 14, round 16 review: Toulouse slip up at Biarritz; Perpignan hold Stade Francais

Ten points in the final seven minutes earned Perpignan a valuable 13-13 draw away to Stade Francais, in a match that also Mathieu Bastareaud sent off and Dan Carter injured.

The weekend's final match was a tense affair throughout at the Stade France but it looked like being a narrow home win until Carter's late intervention.

The Catalans were 13-3 down going into the closing stages when the All Black fly-half chipped ahead for Maxime Mermoz to touch down. The Kiwi star added the conversion and five minutes later levelled the scores after Bastareaud was penalised for killing the ball. The bulky centre, who had earlier been sin-binned for fighting with Ovidiu Tonita, was inevitably handed his marching orders for his second yellow.

Despite only two minutes being left on the clock both sides then squandered late chances to win the match with Stade's Lionel Beauxis missing with an attempted drop goal and Perpignan's Jerome Porical falling short with a long-range penalty effort.

Top 14 table

But there's no doubt that the visitors will be the happier of the two after taking a share of the spoils in Paris, especially after seeming doomed with only eight minutes left. Their only concern - and it is a fairly major one - is the inured ankle sustained by Carter in a collision with his opposite number Juan-Martin Hernandez.

Earlier, it had been French fly-half Lionel Beauxis, playing at full-back, who had put Stade Francais clear when he opened the scoring with his 28th-minute try and conversion. The score remained 7-0 until Hernandez extended the lead with a penalty for the hosts six minutes after half-time.

Perpignan finally got on the board with a Carter penalty after 52 minutes, but Hernandez's second successful kick re-established the 10-point cushion shortly after, leaving Stade to seemingly close out for a crucial home win over their championship rivals.

That they were subsequently denied by their visitors' late rally was doubly frustrating for Stade coach Ewen McKenzie after leaders Toulouse had stumbled to a 17-13 defeat at Biarritz earlier in the day - their first league loss since mid-September but now their third game in succession without a win.

The defending champions showed understandable signs of weariness after a testing fortnight of Heineken Cup action and were behind after just five minutes when Julien Peyrelongue touched down for the game's opening score.

They fought back to lead 13-8 by half-time as they appeared to have weathered the home side’s initial efforts, but tiredness may have played its part as they fell away after the interval.

Full-back Maxime Medard initially replied to Peyrelongue’s try before 10 minutes were up, with fly-half David Skrela adding the conversion on his return from injury. A Cedric Heymans drop goal and further Skrela penalty then lifted Toulouse five points clear at the break but Biarritz are a much improved side of late and battled back to take the points courtesy of four Dimitri Yachvili penalties - three in the second half.

It was Toulouse’s third match without a win after defeat at home to Glasgow and the away draw at Bath in the Heineken Cup, but it’s surely too early to start talking of a mid-season crisis.

Conversely, this was Biarritz's fourth consecutive win and confirmed their return to form after a run of eight straight losses had threatened to dismantle their season. They are still only in ninth position but if they continue in this vein then a Heineken Cup finish - ie in the top seven - should be well within their grasp.

Clermont Auvergne also continued their recent impressive form to consolidate fourth place as they dispatched Bayonne 44-10 at the Stade Marcel Michelin.

Les Jaunards ran in five tries, including two in four minutes early in the second half as they opened up a 10-point gap between themselves and Bayonne.

Fly-half Brock James celebrated extending his contract to 2012 by opening the scoring with his 16^th-minute try after two earlier penalties, with Julien Malzieu adding the second just before the break.

Fijian wing Filimone Bolavucu managed one in reply for the visitors before scores from flanker Alexandre Lapandry and prop Davit Zirakashvili put the result beyond doubt. John Senio’s late try put the icing on the cake for the hosts, ensuring a five-point haul against their nearest rivals for a play-off place.

For Bayonne it was the continuation of a worrying trend that has now seen them lose four of their last five games as their early season surge threatens to come unraveled.

At the other end of the table relegation-threatened Bourgoin did themselves a massive favour by beating Montauban 25-15 to record only their fifth league victory of the season.

Bourgoin centre Matthias Viazzo's 27th minute score was the only try in a match otherwise dominated by the kickers, with Benjamin Boyet adding the conversion and six penalties for the home side. Montauban’s reply came via five Petra Mitu kicks.

The win lifted them above Dax into 10^th place after Thomas Lièvremont’s team went down 23-14 away to Montpellier.

Second-half tries from South African prop Eugene Van Staden and Sebastien Kuzbik did the trick for Montpellier after Drickus Hancke had earlier replied to Neumi Nanuku’s 12^th-minute effort for the visitors.

Honours were shared in the other game with Brive drawing 11-11 away to Castres. Incredibly, it was the two club’s second draw of the season after they were tied 16-16 at Brive earlier in the season, and the visitors were thankful for the all-round skills of talented young winger Alexis Palisson as his try and two penalties accounted for all their points.

It was pure frustration for Castres though, especially after Toulon's 38-22 win over Mont-de-Marsan on Friday evening, and leaves them deep in the relegation mire in 13th spot.