Are hammerings becoming the norm in the Top 14? Will Perpignan ever get their first points on the board in a championship they don’t look invited to for now? Can Pau and Bayonne go the distance at the top of the table? Is Stade Français back? Round 8 of the Top 14 has delivered its lessons and some of those questions found their answers out on the pitch. A look back at a new chapter in which lions roared and lambs were eaten.

Toulouse – Toulon : 59 – 24

The Stadium de Toulouse shook on Sunday evening, not to the muffled ding-ding of a passing tram, but to the “woo-hoos” of a Toulouse pack off the leash. Stade Toulousain quite simply looked down on their guests, RC Toulon. From the first whistle the Rouge et Noir got their claws out: a dominant forward pack and carries that landed like an alarm clock going off at three in the morning. Toulon, for their part, seemed to have mistaken their red shirts for a matador’s cape: plenty of bravery, far too little precision. The Rouge et Noir, hungrier than a wolf pack in winter, stacked up try after try, with a Mallia hat-trick for extra spice. Toulon were brave but scruffy, and spent the evening defending like a sandcastle facing the red tide. Bonus point banked, top spot reclaimed: Stade helped themselves to a feast and left RCT to digest a menu that was far too rich.

Montauban – Perpignan : 29 – 22

At Sapiac, this was less “champagne rugby” than a short, strong black espresso: Montauban took a deep breath and saw off Perpignan for that long-awaited first win. The Catalans? Still without a point to their name, still stuck on zero, as jammed up as a bear in a changing cubicle. Montauban played with a bloodhound’s ruthlessness. The clincher? A Catalan lineout coughing badly: when your set-piece turns into a harvesting machine, defeat is in the air. The upshot: Montauban can breathe, Perpignan… are still looking for a grip. In this duel of shipwrecked sides, the promoted club get a little air, the former Catalan giants sink deeper and the table did not come along just for the sightseeing either.

Bordeaux – Bayonne : 41 – 12

In Bordeaux, UBB treated themselves to a genuine all-you-can-eat dessert trolley, right from the kick-off. The Bordeaux side hit the turbo before the Basques had even finished lacing up their boots: 31-0 at the break, without Aviron having time to shed a tear. Apart from a few sketches of resistance, Bayonne looked like a film played on fast-forward: you know how it ends, you’re just waiting for it to stop. From the Bordeaux side, no mercy: tries from Bielle-Biarrey, Penaud, Mousques, Barlot… UBB turned everything that moved into a try line, and the Bayonne defence looked like it had stopped for a coffee in a saloon.

Clermont – Castres : 63 – 14

At the Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont put on a majorette show, such was the way the Jaunards danced across the big top. The Auvergne side started in bulldozer mode, before Castres realised the road they had just taken had no exit. By half-time, a hiding was in the air. Castres attempted a few snatches of a response, but that was like tossing pawns into a minefield: fun, but pointless. Clermont, meanwhile, ran in tries like wolves on the hunt: carries, mauls, the full kit. In the end, for Castres it was something like a rude awakening after an over-long nap; for Clermont, a gourmet dinner with no indigestion and a bonus point for dessert.

Racing – Pau : 15 – 10

At the Stade Dominique-Duvauchelle, Racing 92 claimed the scalp of league leaders Pau without scoring a single try. Yes, you read that right. A match without a try, but five successful penalties. Pau did dot down twice, but were burned by the opposition’s boot, that of the little blond head Ugo Seunes. So the Ciel-et-Blanc were served cold: possession shared (50%-50%), territory level, but a cruel lack of cutting edge. Pau believed in a bonus point, then found themselves tasting three-pointers by the plateful. And the icing on the cake: the leaders had their place snatched away, leaving Racing smirking like a dinner guest who has pulled off the dessert heist. In short, Pau go home empty-handed, Racing go home with a glass in hand, humming the tune of victory and a win that owes more to the art of winning than to the spectacle.

Stade Français – Montpellier : 35 – 12

At the Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris turned Montpellier into visitors without a ticket. From the opening minutes the Roses sent a message with the kick of a double espresso, again, before running up the bill and putting MHR on pause. After the restart, Paris hit the turbo – not the fish, the Ferrari kind – to seal the bonus point. Montpellier saved face with two late tries, but it is worth remembering that saving face does not fill the fridge. The result: Stade Français go top, and Montpellier are left counting their sheep (and their misses) in the Paris night.

Lyon – La Rochelle : 19 – 36

At the Stade Gerland, Lyon thought they had done the job with a try inside three minutes. The promise of a little “we’re here”. But La Rochelle answered almost instantly, turning the buffet into a feast and reducing the lion to a lost sheep. Lyon spent the second half in radio-silence mode: not a single point after the break, as though someone had switched off the stereo mid-journey. La Rochelle, for their part, flexed their muscles: dominant set-piece, scrum reclaimed, and a memorable brace from Paul Boudehent to round off the demonstration. For the “Gones”, it ended like a half-eaten dinner: plenty of good intentions, but in the end more plates sent back than mouthfuls savoured. For the Maritimes, mission accomplished: travel, victory, game.