Five-try Clermont stay top in France
Beaten for the first time this season at Montpellier last weekend, Clermont hit back with English fullback Nick Abendanon and French flyhalf Camille Lopez playing starring roles.
Clermont lead the way from Racing 92 who went second after a 17-14 win over Brive while Castres, meanwhile, slumped to a third successive defeat.
Abendanon and Lopez both grabbed tries for Clermont with Fijian centre Albert VuliVuli, South African prop Benjamin Kayser and English wing David Strettle also scoring.
Geoffrey Palis scored all of Castres' points with a converted try and two penalties.
Montpellier, who started the day just a point behind Clermont, lost 33-25 at home to Toulouse.
"Being able to win at Montpellier is a good performance," said Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola.
"It's always good to beat a direct [title] rival."
Montpellier started the match with five Australians in their line-up, as well as Marvin O'Connor, the French son of a former Australian Rugby League player, on the wing.
South African brothers Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis were also in the stands to watch their new teammates, having finished their Springbok World Cup campaign on Friday.
But it was Toulouse, who could count on returning France internationals Thierry Dusautoir and Louis Picamoles who found their form early on.
Montpellier captain Fulgence Ouedraogo wasn't happy with the officiating, though.
"Sometimes I understand the referee, but I was struggling to follow him during this match. It wasn't the same for both sides," he complained.
After scrumhalf Sebastien Bezy knocked over two penalties, Toulouse launched an attack form inside their own half, stretching the Montpellier defence before former England international Toby Flood sold Aussie Jesse Mogg a dummy and streaked over under the posts.
His centre partner Gael Fickou repeated the trick with another feint that also fooled Mogg before he too crossed the whitewash, Bezy converting both times as Toulouse led 20-3.
Montpellier, and Mogg, seemed to have hit straight back but the former Wallaby international's try was chalked off for an earlier knock-on by Ouedraogo.
Toulouse's reprieve was short-lived though as Aussie scrumhalf Nick White picked-up from the back of a five-metre scrum, dummied Bezy and darted over.
Ben Lucas converted and added two penalties as the hosts turned around trailing 20-13 at the break.
Another Bezy penalty stretched Toulouse's lead but Fiji No.8 Akapusi Qera rolled over from the back of a maul to reduce the arrears.
Yet Samoa wing Paul Perez dived over in the corner for Toulouse's third try and another Qera try proved scant consolation.
Racing 92 scored two tries in the final 20 minutes to snatch victory against Brive having trailed 14-0 at one point.
The Parisians were still in trouble at the break, 14-3 down with replacement New Zealander prop Ben Tameifuna in the sinbin.
But the big-spending capital-based club turned it around as French internationals Edy Ben Arous and Marc Andreu scored the tries that guided them to victory, while 1997 European champions Brive had Thomas Acquier and Putasi Luafutu yellow carded.
Champions Stade Francais's miserable start to the season continued despite welcoming back France international forwards Pascal Pape and Rabah Slimani for the trip to rock-bottom Agen.
The hosts ran in three tries and held off a late Stade comeback — the champions scored 13 unanswered points late on — to win 28-23.
Former All Black scrumhalf Piri Weepu scored his first try in France as Oyonnax crushed Pau 42-23.
Oyonnax ran in five tries to earn a bonus point against the second division champions and leap above both their opponents and Stade Francais in the table.
On Sunday, European champions Toulon slumped to a 29-33 defeat at Grenoble on Sunday, in a dispiriting display eased only by the knowledge that star reinforcements Ma'a Nonu and Quade Cooper will sign on for duty this week.
Despite grabbing an attacking bonus point in a game where they outscored their hosts by four tries to three – English No.8 Steffon Armitage claiming a hat-trick – Toulon suffered a fourth loss in seven Top 14 outings this season.
Toulon are eighth in the standings but will at least be buoyed by the imminent arrival of All Blacks' World Cup winning centre Nonu and Wallaby flyhalf Cooper. Cooper, who was overlooked for Saturday's World Cup final loss to New Zealand where Nonu scored a spectacular try, is due to be unveiled on Monday.
Toulon had crushed Oyonnax 61-3 last weekend but were second-best at the scrum and breakdown against a Grenoble side, who are now sixth in the table.
Top 14 results:
Sunday, November 1
Grenoble 33 Toulon 29
Saturday, October 31
Agen 28-23 Stade Francais
Bordeaux-Begles 21-16 La Rochelle
Oyonnax 42-23 Pau
Racing 92 17-14 Brive
Montpellier 25-33 Toulouse
Clermont 42-13 Castres
Top 14 table (played, won, drawn, lost, points for, points against, bonus points, total points):
Clermont 7 5 1 1 232 109 6 28
Racing 92 7 6 0 1 150 126 0 24
Toulouse 7 5 0 2 169 104 2 22
Montpellier 7 5 0 2 198 158 2 22
Bordeaux 7 4 1 2 150 145 1 19
Grenoble 7 4 0 3 182 168 2 18
Brive 7 4 0 3 126 126 2 18
Toulon 7 3 0 4 212 153 5 17
La Rochelle 7 2 0 5 131 193 3 11
Castres 7 2 0 5 140 186 2 10
Oyonnax 7 2 0 5 160 232 2 10
Stade Francais 7 2 0 5 143 168 1 9
Pau 7 2 0 5 114 192 1 9
Agen 7 2 0 5 124 171 0 8
Agence France-Presse
