Top 14 wrap: Round six
Flying high: Anthony Floch scores for Clermont
Toulouse confirmed their return to form on Saturday by beating fellow title contenders Perpignan at home while Stade Français made it six wins out of six to stay clear at the top of the table.
Clermont and Brive were the other big winners of the day. Clermont showed the kind of attacking flair that saw them dominate the Top 14 last year by crushing Biarritz.
Montpellier scored their fourth win to stay in touch with the leaders while Castres were denied a second win at the death in Montauban.
Bayonne continued their winnings ways and are now second after edging past Toulon.
Results:
Clermont 32-6 Biarritz
Montauban 24-23 Castres
Mont-de-Marsan 16-22 Montpellier
Brive 41-9 Dax
Toulouse 30-20 Perpignan
Bayonne 19-15 Toulon
Standings
1 Stade Français 26
2 Bayonne 20
3 Toulouse 19
4 Montpellier 18
5 Perpignan 17
6 Clermont 16
7 Montauban 14
8 Toulon 13
9 Biarritz 12
10 Dax 10
11 Bourgoin 9
12 Brive 9
13 Castres 8
14 Mont-de-Marsan 7
In a match played at Grenoble's football stadium that brought in double the usual Bourgoin support, both teams clearly enjoyed the immaculate playing surface with attack the order of the night.
Stade outscored their hosts two tries to one with rugby league convert Mark Gasnier scoring on debut. However it was the lethal kicking skill of Juan Martin Hernandez and Lionel Beauxis that once again proved the difference between the sides. Hernandez slotted a two drop goals either side of one from Beauxis.
Bourgoin fly-half Sébastien Laloo was successful from six attempts from the kicking-tee to add to the games opening try from wing Rudi Coetzee to earn Bourgoin a valuable losing bonus point.
Clermont 32-6 Biarritz
Clermont answered all their critics with a massive performance in the first half that saw them score four tries inside half-an-hour and effectively end the game as a contest. Julien Malzieu, Marius Joubert, Anthony Floch and Napolioni Nalaga all scored tries, three of which were converted by Brock James.
Biarritz could respond only with two Valentin Courrent penalties and slumped to their third defeat away from home while Clermont move up the table thanks to a bonus point.
BO's handed their hosts all the possession they needed with some sloppy handling. The Clermont crowd would have been thrilled to see their team play in the clinically attacking fashion they did last season to lead 26-3 at the break before controlling the second half with long range kicking.
Biarritz's coaches will not be happy as their defensive, the one thing they could rely on last season, was broken on countless occasions.
Montauban 24-23 Castres
We said it would be close...Castres full-back Anthony Lagardère missed a conversion in the 80th minute to gift Montauban their third win of the season.
Loose forward Leiataua Tomiki scored a superb try at the death to put Castres in with a shout but Lagardère, who had previously been successful with all five of his attempts at goal, scuffed the conversion to hand Montauban a welcome rebound from their 41-10 mauling at Toulouse last week.
Montauban built their win on tries on either side of half time from Vilimoni Delasau (18th minute) and Shannon Paku (54th).
Castres led at half time thanks to four penalties from Lagardère but will regret being overly flamboyant in the opening and closing minutes of the match.
Mont-de-Marsan 16-22 Montpellier
Another win for Montpellier, another bonus point for Mont-de-Marsan.
Montpellier are in great form and left their hosts with little chance of victory. Three first-half tries form the Héraultais, by loose forward Johan Wasserman, wing Olivier Sarraméa and centre Sylvain Mirande, gave them a 22-7 led at the break after Mont-de-Marsan centre Baptiste Chedal scored a fantastic try.
Significantly, Montpellier's win was marked by some cool headed decision making, illustrated by a 50m drop goal by François Trinh-Duc as an immediate reply to Chedal's try.
A 60m penalty from Mont-de-Marsan fly-half Benat Arrayet in the 81st minute saved a the bonus point for the hosts, who now find themselves in last place. It's seems like harsh justice for les Montois, who have played some excellent rugby. But nobody said life would be easy in France's top flight.
Brive 41-9 Dax
Brive finally record their first win of the season, and did so in emphatic fashion, racking up a bonus point to climb two places up the standings.
Former Leicester playmaker Andy Goode was in cracking form for Brive, scoring 19 points as his new club. Star full-back Alexis Pallison marked his return with a first-half try.
Toulouse 30-20 Perpignan
Byron Kelleher celebrated being named last season's best player in the Top 14 by spurring Toulouse side to a convincing win.
Perpignan battled gamely early on but ultimately failed to cope with the home side's pace and incredible strength in depth around the park.
David Skrela knocked over two penalties in answer to a Perpignan try from Julien Candelon in the 14th minute.
Gavin Hume hit a penalty to edge the visitors ahead but Kelleher reinforced his growing star credentials in Toulouse when he finished off a break by flanker Jean Bouilhou, sent searing through the blindside by a smart inside pass from Skrela.
For a while it looked as if Toulouse might run away with the game, but Perpignan hung in there and after some good work by scrum-half Nicolas Durand, number eight Henry Tuilagi barged his way over for an unconverted try that tied the sides at 13 points apiece.
Toulouse got the second half off to a storming start, Yannick Jauzion crossing for a try after a fine offload by straight-running co-centre Florian Fritz.
Skrela converted, and then dropped a goal which Perpignan failed to nullify when replacement Jerome Porical's attempted penalty came back off the upright.
Kelleher was then on hand to set up Cedric Heymans, running laterally from the base of a five-metre scrum to drop the replacement full-back off beautifully for a free run in for a try Skrela converted.
Gerrie Britz scored a late consolation try after a great break from Chris Cusiter.
But Kelleher had the final word, sprinting across the pitch as final defender to tap tackle Candelon into touch with the line at his mercy.
Bayonne 19-15 Toulon
Bayonne remain unbeaten at home and continue their super start to the season.
Bayonne scrum-half Cédric Garcia scored the only try of the match in the second half after the teams were all-square at 12-12 at the break.
The home side built their success on the back of their ever-impressive scrum. Toulon head home with a valauble bonus point thanks in no small part to two drop goals from fly-half Damien Videl.