Top 14 wrap: Round 2

Close one: Sergio Parisse scores to spare Stade Français some rosy cheeks

Biarritz, Bayonne and Clermont were the big winner in Round two of the Top 14 on a day characterised by blistering heat in France. Stade Français scraped home against Mont-de-Marsan to remain top of the table.

After losing last Tuesday, all eyes were on last year's finalists. While Clermont came good with a six-try win over Montpellier, Toulouse's false start was extended, although they did manage a narrow victory over Dax.

Results:

Toulon 3-3 Brive

Toulouse 32-25 Dax

Bayonne 22-20 Montauban

Stade Français 27-22 Mont-de-Marsan

Clermont 43- 20 Montpellier

Biarritz 32-17 Castres

Bourgoin 16-22 Perpignan

Toulon 3-3 Brive

Errors galore! The fans at Felix Mayol were not treated to a second consecutive night of euphoria. Far from it. Each side scored a penalty in the first ten minutes and that was that as far as scoring goes. In French "nul" means both "draw" and "pathetic" - never was a word more appropriate.

Place-kickers Sébastien Fauqué and Andy Goode scored a penalty a piece but both had disappointing games from the tee.

Brive on the other hand will head home happy to have improved on their loss in Perpignan last Tuesday.

Toulouse 32-25 Dax

The Champions of France were far from brilliant in their first match of the season at Ernest-Wallon. The home fans were chewing and their nails when at the 50 minute mark, Dax led 17-16!

Toulouse could not have expected to have such a tough day against Thomas Lièvremont's men. Yet in a tight match from the first whistle to the last, Toulouse were out-scored three tries to two.

Les Landais thus head home with a losing bonus point, the most they realistically could have had hoped for before the game, but it could have been a lot more!

Bayonne 22-20 Montauban

Two from two for Bayonne. Although Montauban made a late comeback, the Basques hung on for a home win to move to third on the table.

It was 30 degrees in the shade in Bayonne, so to say the match was a hotly contested affair would be too easy. The referee was actually kind enough to allow for a water break in the middle of each half. Perhaps sweaty hands could be to blame for a second half littered with errors from both sides.

Bayonne were looking like comfortable leaders at half time with a 16-3 lead but Fabien Fortassin scored a try, a conversion and penalty to bring his side back into the game at 16-13 soon after the break.

Bayonne's much fortified bench, came on in the strength-sapping heat to get the home side back on top as Australia fly-half Manuel Edmonds' boot stretched their lead once again.

Montauban's Fijian rocket Vilimoni Delasau scored his third try in two games to close the gap to just two points, but Bayonne's scrum, who forced a change in possession in the 79th minute, saved the day for the Basque hosts.

Stade Français 27-22 Mont-de-Marsan

A tough day in the capital for the Parisian giants. Shame on all of us for writing Mont-de-Marsan off they way we did. They visitors actually led 19-9 at one stage before a massive effort from Stade saved them from embarrassment.

The visitors cashed-in on their hosts errors and proved, quite literally, that they will not be easy pushovers this season. Marc Dal Maso and his team, like their neighbours Dax, head back to les Landes with a much deserved bonus point.

So, Stade Français retain their position at the top of the table but will have to make a massive improvement if they wish to stay there.

Clermont 43- 20 Montpellier

Beaten in Toulon last week, Clermont were expected to bounce back this week and they delivered at home. Six tries and a bonus point should be enough to send the Clermont fans home reassured that their team is still the destructive force that terrorised France last season.

Montpellier didn't roll over easily though. Twice the home side thought they had secured the bonus point (for scoring three more tries than their opposition) and twice the visitors from the Herault fought on to stay in touch.

A scintillating final quarter from Clermont however left no doubt that they back to something close to their top form.

Benoît Baby, the star of the day, started at fly-half for Clermont (in the absence of Brock James), and was able to ignite the back-row that lacked their usual fire against Toulon. The home side had only attack on their minds and nearly all their penalties were either played quickly or kicked into touch to set up attacking line-outs.

Clermont Hooker Benoît Cabello opened the scoring and team-mates Alexandre Audebert, Baby and Marius Joubert all got their names on the scoresheet before James added another try after coming on in the dying minutes.

Montpellier were just nine points behind their hosts with fourteen minutes to play but ill discipline when it counted cost them a bonus point as both Justin Marshall and Georgian lock Mamuka Gorgodze were shown yellow cards.

Vern Cotter will be a happy man, his team has found it's stride, albeit a few days later than he would have liked.

Biarritz 32-17 Castres

A great result for Biarritz who have gotten their season off to a winning start, though is wasn't easy going.

After starting strongly, BO watched Castres score two unanswered tries to lead 17-16 at half time. The visitors were nowhere to be seen in the second period however. Biarritz controlled the game to notch up a third try and three penalties and held Castres scoreless in the second half.

Biarritz fly-half Valentin Courrent - brought over from Toulouse at the end of last season - has proven to be a valuable acquisition. His partnership with Dimitri Yachvilli proved lethal.

That all three of Biarritz tries were scored by their wings - two for American Takudzwa Ngwenya and another for Fijian Ilikena Bolakoro - is an indication that they are finding the attacking rhythm they were missing last season. Ngwenya has now scored four tries in two matches.

Castres arrived with a weakened team and left with a few more players nursing injuries. Tough start for to the new season for the Tarn team.

Bourgoin 16-22 Perpignan

Perpignan continued their good run of form in Bourgoin - a place historically difficult to win in - with a 22-16 victory.

Flanker Thomas Genevois opened the scoring for the hosts with a try after 15 minutes, following a heavy spell of pressure from the home pack, and Benjamin Boyet converted.

But that was it for the Berjalliens for the first half, and Nicolas Laharrague's two penalties and a try for the nippy Philip Burger had the Catalans 11-7 up at the break.

Two penalties early in the second half from Boyet put Bourgoin back in the lead, but the fly-half left injured shortly after, and the prognosis is for a lay-off of several weeks.

Morgan Parra landed a penalty to make it 16-14 after Laharague had landed his third, but Perpignan's Steve Meyer made it 16-17 with eight minutes to go, and in the final minute, Jean-Philippe Grandclaude rounded off a simple overlap move for the killer try.

It's two from two for Perpignan now, and next up are the visiting Parisians.