Top 14 Wrap: Round Ten
Last minute hero: Gaffie du Toit kicked Toulouse to victory over Toulon
Toulouse needed a 79th-minute penalty to beat Toulon by single point and remain at the summit of the Top 14 table on Saturday in a weekend of close results.
Perpignan were the big winners of the day, running in three tries to score a bonus point win over Biarritz and join Toulouse as co-leaders.
Last season's trend-setters, Clermont, went down to their fifth defeat of the season away to Brive while Bayonne continued their run of form away to Bourgoin.
On Friday Stade Français's reversal of fortunes continued as they went down in Montpellier.
Results:
Montpellier 26-13 Stade Français
Castres 26-6 Mont-de-Marsan
Bourgoin 9-13 Bayonne
Dax 20-20 Montauban
Toulouse 19-18 Toulon
Brive 18 - 16 Clermont
Perpignan 27-12 Biarritz
Standings:
1 Toulouse 35
2 Perpignan 35
3 Bayonne 32
4 Stade Français 31
5 Montpellier 27
6 Clermont 26
7 Montauban 26
8 Biarritz 23
9 Brive 20
10 Dax 20
11 Castres 17
12 Bourgoin 15
13 Toulon 15
14 Mont-de-Marsan 7
Montpellier 26-13 Stade Français
After Stade Français dominated the opening fifteen minutes, Montpellier produced some excellent rugby to score a win that confirms their pedigree as candidates for a place in the European Cup.
Led by their pack les Héraults took the game by the scruff of the neck and punished their clumsy Parisian visitors.
Having lost three straight games now, the former leaders fell four points behind Toulouse.
Argentine fly-half Federico Todeschini has a left bicep problem with initial tests fearing a ruptured ligament which could put him out of action for three months. He will have further tests during the week for a more thorough diagnosis.
Montpellier coach Didier Nourault has real problems in the number ten position as France international Francois Trinh-Duc has a torn thigh muscle from their November 31-26 victory at Castres two weeks ago.
And South African prop Danie Thiart has injured right knee ligaments, centre Sylvain Mirande has a fractured hand, and back row Johan Wasserman will be out for about 10 days with a broken nose.
Castres 26-6 Mont-de-Marsan
Castres finally climbed out of the death zone by putting another nail in Mont de Marsan's coffin.
The visitors got off to a good start by opening the scoring thanks to a penalty from Benat Arrayet but a couple of penalties from Romain Teulet gave Castres a half-time lead and the visitors made a mountain of errors.
The home side came out of the changing rooms after the break and confirmed their superiority as Samoan lock Osefa Tekori scored two tries
Bourgoin 9-13 Bayonne
Bayonne scored a deserved victory in a dour affair at Stade Pierre Rajon.
Thanks to an impenetrable defensive curtain, Bayonne led from start to finish to move ahead of Stade Français in the top four.
Fijian wing Filimone Bolavucu scored the only try of the game, while all of Bourgoin's points came from the boot of Benjamin Boyet
Bourgoin take a step closer to the relegation zone and remain above Toulon thanks only to their points difference.
Dax 20-20 Montauban
A try from Fijian wing Neumi Nanuku in the dying minutes earned Dax a draw.
The Landais were ahead at half time thanks to a penalty try to which Montauban replied with a try from scrum-half Julien Audy.
Montauban took the initiative in the second period and moved ahead when centre Yoan Audrin crossed the whitewash.
Antoine Vignau-Tuquet missed what would have been a winning a drop gaol for Dax in the 80th minute.
Toulouse 19-18 Toulon
Deprived of a busful of internationals, Toulouse still lined up a starting XV packed with stars but came desperately close to losing at home for the first time this season.
After having led for the majority of the match, Tana Umaga's side saw victory ripped from their grasp when South African full-back Gaffie du Toit landed a 79th-minute penalty.
Toulouse centre Florian Fritz scored the first try, but it was the visitors who led 13-8 at the break thanks to a try from full-back Orene Ai'i.
Byron Kelleher levelled the scores on the hour mark with a wonderful individual effort, but Toulon moved back into the lead - despite being reduced to fourteen men after hooker Guillaume Ribes was shown a yellow card - when Aussie wing Luke Rooney scored after Yves Donguy let the ball slip from his hands.
The home side's cause was not helped by Fred Michalak's inaccuracy from the kicking-tee. Once the darling of the Ville Rose the former Sharks fly-half missed four penalties to the whistled disapproval of the home fans.
Du Toit came to the rescue, slotting two three-pointers for the champions de France , the second of which came after his countryman Joe van Niekerk was shown a yellow card, effectively handing Toulouse the match.
Toulon slip into the relegation zone, but showed they are capable of being far more than their lowly position on that table suggests.
"I think that's normal because I missed five or six kicks," said Michalak on being whistled by the crowd.
"I knew it would be a difficult match for me and I'm going to have to work more because I lacked my composure, with Byron Kelleher and with everybody.
"More was expected of me but the main thing is that Toulouse won, not with my kicks but from the boot of Gaffie Du Toit."
Brive 18 - 16 Clermont
English fly-half Andy Goode kicked all eighteen of his side's points in their derby against a much-diminished Clermont side. Brive finally got the big scalp that their budget demands and will hope to use this result as a platform from which to launch their season.
Brive led 9-6 at the break as Brock James succeeded with two penalty attempts for the visitors.
Clermont, who visited their neighbours without fifteen players due to international call-ups and injury nevertheless scored the only try of the encounter when loose forward Elvis Vermeulen crossed the line after Anthony Floch provided him with an inch-perfect kick-pass.
The visitors would pay dearly for trying to rely on James' boot to simply kick for territory as Brive, led by an indefatigable Gerhard Vosloo, camped in the Clermont 22 in the last ten minutes, allowing Goode to kick them to victory with two more penalties.
Vern Cotter's Jaunards are now nine points behind the leaders after having to settle for a defensive bonus point.
Perpignan 27 -12 Biarritz
An almost perfect day for Perpignan, who scored three tries to none, and hence a bonus point to join Toulouse at the top of the table.
Almost perfect it must said as the fly-half curse struck the Catalans again. Nicolas Laharrague was forced from the field after just five minutes, but his replacement, David Mélé, stepped up to the plate once again, adding three conversions and two penalties to the Catalans' cause. Dimitri Yachvili kicked all of Biarritz's points.
Number eight Damien Chouly got a bit lucky with opening try when a high ball from Perpignan full-back Phillip Burger bounced of wing Farid Sid's head and Chouly was able to pick up the loose ball and score.
Biarritz had no lack of commitment but their handling let them down, allowing Perpignan a somewhat flattering lead 13-6 lead at half time.
Perpignan wing Adrien Planté score his team's second try shortly after the break, following up on his own deft chip ahead.
A drop and penalty from Yachvili reduced the gap but replacement wing Julien Candelon sealed the game for Perpignan with a little more than ten minutes to play after centre Maxime Mermoz had broken the Biarritz line.