Top 14 (Round 4): Toulouse go top, LOU fall

Toulouse waited until the last match of round four to move top of Top 14 for the first time this season. The same weekend, Lyon lost their unbeaten record and Toulon finally won.

The Rouge et Noir now have 15 points, one more than Lyon and Pau. Behind them, Bayonne follow on 13 after their win at Racing, and Vannes remain the only team without a single point.

Toulouse turn around a start down to fourteen men

The remake of June’s final had started badly for the Toulouse side. Teddy Thomas was shown a yellow card straight away for a deliberate knock-on, Alexandre Roumat followed suit in the 15th minute for a high tackle on Arthur Vincent, and the French champions spent most of the first twenty minutes down to fourteen. Montpellier managed only a penalty from Adam Hastings in reply. “At half-time, there won’t be anyone left in front of Canal,” Ugo Mola told Canal+ after twenty minutes of play.

What followed proved him wrong. Théo Ntamack opened the scoring off a driving scrum, Teddy Thomas made amends with a kick from Romain Ntamack, and the latter finished off a counter-attack from his own half just before the break to make it 19-8. Antoine Dupont then scored twice in two minutes at the start of the second half, his first tries of the season, taking him to 50 in Top 14. Teddy Thomas completed his brace in the 62nd minute. Six tries to three, offensive bonus point included.

For the first time, the two Ntamack brothers scored on the same night. They had appeared together on a team sheet thirty times since 11 September 2022, the date of Théo’s first Top 14 match, without ever managing it. The number 8, who now has ten Top 14 tries, also provided the pass for Dupont’s first try. His very first try in the league, in August 2023, had also come against Montpellier.

Toulouse did it without seven of their forwards, including Emmanuel Meafou, Clément Vergé, François Cros, Jack Willis and Anthony Jelonch. MHR, for their part, fielded only two starters from the final, Arthur Vincent and Ali Price. Toulouse now have the best defence in the league (83 points conceded) and the best points difference (+61).

The round’s results

Lyon fall at Jean-Bouin

After three rounds, Lyon stood alone with three wins. They left Jean-Bouin beaten 31-10, and Stade Français picked up their first offensive bonus point of the season in the process.

Toulon climb out of the hole after losing four points in three matches

RCT had lost their first three matches by 1, 1 and 2 points, four points in total. This time they won by eighteen against Vannes, with the offensive bonus point, while the Breton promoted side had rested almost all of their starters.

Perpignan end four straight defeats to UBB

Perpignan had not beaten Bordeaux-Bègles since October 2024. They did it with five tries, two of them scored a man down, and a defence that held despite conceding 60% possession. UBB remain unbeaten at home but have taken no points from their two away trips.

Bayonne open their away account

The Basques had not won away from Jean-Dauger since March. They did it in Créteil, where Racing 92 play their home games and had just lost twice in a row. Patrice Collazo pointed out that his side would play “eight months out of eleven away from home” until April.

Pau keep winning, Clermont take five points

Section corrected La Rochelle 39-17 with the bonus point, eight days after their thrashing at Lyon, and Rodrigo Marta scored his sixth try in four starts. Pau remain the league’s top attack with 161 points. Clermont won 20-6 against a Castres side their manager judged to lack commitment, taking the offensive bonus point in what was otherwise a tight match. Alivereti Raka, playing his first match of the season, scored his 105th try for ASM, the 81st in Top 14: he becomes the club’s third-highest try scorer in history, level with Napolioni Nalaga and André Dubertrand.

The standings after four rounds

Pau have a better points difference than Lyon but remain below them: level on points, the LNR uses head-to-head to separate teams, and Lyon won 51-25 at Hameau in round three. Montpellier, Stade Français and Perpignan, all on nine points, are ranked the same way. The rule also places Toulon bottom of their group on eight points, despite a difference of plus fourteen, because Castres and La Rochelle both beat them.