Toulon put 50 on Bayonne
Toulon put 50 points on Bayonne in a result that sees the latter side replacing a Agen at the bottom of the Top 14.
Last Updated: 29/01/12 11:28am
Toulon put 50 points past Bayonne in the Top 14 on Saturday while Biarritz's latest domestic loss, to Castres, sees them teetering near the basement.
Forgotten England openside flanker Steffon Armitage crossed for two tries at Stade Felix Mayol while three other five-pointers were added. Jonny Wilkinson knocked over 24 points.
In the other fixtures, Brive compounded Perpignan's woes by denying them even a losing bonus point at Stade Amédée Domenech while Castres beat BO 29-23 and Lyon edged Agen to move above Bayonne at the bottom of the table.
The early evening game in France meanwhile saw league pace-setters Toulouse sneak past Racing-Metro in a tension filled 80 minutes.
CA Brive Corrèze 17-9 USA Perpignan
Stade Amédée Domenech, Brive
Perpignan squandered a 0-9 lead at Stade Amédée Domenech as their Top 14 season went from bad to worse on Saturday, losing without a bonus-point to a fellow struggler.
Jerome Porical had given USAP a cushion as the interval neared but then Scott Spedding's converted try, complimented by centre Julien Caminati's earlier penalty put the hosts ahead.
And from there, Perpignan continued to misfire and Brive ultimately took their big chance to overtake their visitors in the standings, scoring a 65th minute try via flanker Simon Azoulai.
Castres Olympique 29-23 Biarritz Olympique
Stade Pierre Antoine, Castres
Biarritz Olympique failed to take their Heineken Cup frustration out on Castres on Saturday, with the latter ultimately regaining the upper hand on Montpellier in the Top 14 standings.
Romain Martial was the star of the show for the hosts as he crossed for two tries while Romain Teulet, aka Robocop, knocked over 16 points. Rory Kockott kicked a penalty.
Biarritz, who picked up a losing bonus point in the game, had their points scored by Benoit Guyot and Pelu Taele-Pavihi while Dimitri Yachvili added a further ten points from the tee.
RC Toulon 50-10 Aviron Bayonnais
Stade Felix Mayol, Toulon
Toulon issued an immediate response to Montpellier's Friday victory over Stade Francais with an emphatic five-try performance against a struggling Bayonne side at Felix Mayol.
However, the scoreline was only 15-3 in favour of the hosts going into the interval before the likes of Wilkinson and Matt Giteau orchestrated a hugely impressive second 40 showing.
Openside flanker Armitage crossed for a brace of scores while Geoffroy Messina, Luke Rooney and Alexis Palisson dotted down to accompany fly-half Wilkinson's 24 points.
Aviron Bayonne now replace Lyon Olympique at the basement of the Top 14 standings.
Lyon Olympique 19-11 SU Agen
Stade Matmut, Lyon
Lyon pulled off one of the most important wins in their history as they overcame Agen to move off the bottom of the standings. Victory leaves them tied with Biarritz in second last.
Sisa Koyamaibole was their try-scorer on the half-hour while Romain Loursac added the other 14 points in a result that seriously dents Agen's Top 14 play-off ambitions.
Racing Métro 92 13-19 Stade Toulousain
Stade de France, St. Denis (Paris)
A try from replacement back-row forward Gillian Galan with four minutes remaining saw Toulouse claim what could prove to be a priceless away win in the league on Saturday.
Down 13-12 and with the clock ticking down, the young number eight crashed over to seal a hard-fought win in Paris that leaves them ten points clear of Clermont, who face Bordeaux in the late game. Their other points came from Lionel Beauxis and Luke McAlister's boots.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles 10-17 ASM Clermont Auvergne
Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
Clermont Auvergne managed to overcome a spirited Bordeaux side despite being down a player at separate points during the late fixture at Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
The visitors were 8-10 down at the break but then recovered to take the spoils, as replacement fly-half David Skrela kicked a penalty and drop-goal to seal matters.
