Sunday 8 March 2015 10:57, UK
Toulon returned to the top of the French domestic league thanks to a five-try win over Brive.
With Clermont missing out on a bonus-point win over Bayonne, Toulon's victory was enough to send them back to the summit of the Top 14 table.
Four of the tries were scored by winger David Smith, who had a good night with the ball in hand, but all his touch downs came off the back of traditionally ruthless Toulon attacks.
Smith’s first try came from a Josua Tuisova break, after Nicolas Sanchez and Gaetan Germain had traded early penalties.
Brive struggled at scrum-time, with Damien Jourdain eventually given his temporary marching orders by the referee, which was the catalyst in Toulon squeezing the life out of the game as Juan Smith crossed to add to the four tries of Smith.
The visitors scored a try of their own through Alfi Mafi but the game had been decided long before, as Toulon found themselves top of the table once again.
A last-gasp penalty from France’s scrum-half Rory Kockott gave Castres a win that keeps them in the race for survival.
The home side lost Yannick Caballero after he was given his marching orders after just 20 minutes, and even endured a period with 13 men when Christophe Samson was shown a yellow card for charging into a ruck, with his shoulder catching Jean-Philippe Bonrepaux.
The extra man told but not fatally for Castres, who kept the deficit to just seven points going into the break. However, immediately after the break Lyon scored through Jérôme Porical to extend the lead to 14-0.
The home side were not to be deterred though, as Saimone Taumoepeau, Max Evans and Rory Kockott all scored second-half tries to bring them right back into the game, before a second penalty from Kockott in the dying seconds earned them a dramatic and unlikely win.
Peceli Yato scored twice for the home side as they saw off a spirited Bayonne side and move back into play-off contention.
A further try from skipper and loose forward Julien Bonnaire was not enough to earn his side the bonus point but did give them the win over the visitors.
Bayonne sent an understrength team to Clermont and the hosts didn’t take long to punish them for doing so, as No 8 Yato put his team on the board with an early effort.
He scored a second try in the 12th minute and it seemed like the home side were on track for a rout, but after trading penalties and a try to Bayonne's David Roumieu, the score was well poised at 21-13 early in the second half.
Bayonne were next to score but, when Allan Gravier earned a yellow card for kicking the ball out of an opponent’s hand, Clermont took advantage of the extra man through a try from Bonnaire which sealed the encounter.
A Ben Lucas penalty helped Montpellier sneak a draw against a visiting La Rochelle team, which keeps them in contention for a top six finish as the competition draws towards the end of the regular season.
The visitors managed two tries from hooker Hika Forbes and full-back Kini Murimurivalu, one of which was converted, and a further penalty from Jean-Pascal Barraque put them ahead.
But a last-gasp penalty goal from Lucas – his fifth of the night - forced them to leave Montpellier with a disappointing draw.
Racing Metro kept the pressure on at the top with a hard-fought win over a visiting Grenoble team.
Former Racing pivot Jonathan Wisniewski opened the scoring for the visitors with two penalties, but their lead was short-lived after scrum-half Maxime Machenaud finished off a good team try by converting his own effort.
Racing survived a period with 14 men, but shortly thereafter they conceded when Gio Aplon put Xavier Mignot over for a try.
A try from Antonie Claassen made it 16-14 to Grenoble at the break and the home side were first to score in the second half through the boot of Machenaud.
Tries then arrived in quick succession for both teams, with the scores only separated by a single point before Juan Imhoff's late try appeared to have put the hosts clear. However, another penalty from Wisniewski ensured a thrilling finish to the close encounter.
A last-second drop goal from the boot of Jules Plisson gave Stade Français a hugely important 23-22 win away at Bordeaux-Bègles.
The Paris side became only the second team to beat Bordeaux-Bègles in their own back yard this season and, after coming into the game on a run of back-to-back defeats, the win will have been a relieving one for the visitors.
Tries from Raphaël Lakafia and and No 3 Rabah Slimani were enough for Stade to edge in front but they were forced to play until the final minute as their hosts fought bravely throughout.
An injury-ravaged home side appeared off their usual dominant form, and they were forced to wait until the dying moments of the game before they registered a try of their own, but the score was cancelled out by the calm nerve of Plisson as he sent the visitors packing with a losing bonus point all to show for their efforts.
Toulouse's attempt to make it into the knock-out stages were dealt a blow when they were beaten in a scrappy affair at Stade Chalres Mathon on Friday night.
Luke McAlister slotted a penalty which was matched by Benjamin Urdapilleta, leaving the two teams locked at 3-3 at half-time. Two second-half penalties from Urdapilleta gave the home side a win in what was a drab, try-less affair.
