Top 14 (R5) – Toulouse hold on, Vannes almost pull it off

Toulouse needed just a one-point margin in Castres to stay top of the Top 14 at the end of a fifth round in which Vannes almost overturned a 33-point deficit against Pau.

The champions have 19 points, one more than Pau and two more than Bayonne, who have won all three of their games at Jean-Dauger. At the bottom, Vannes are no longer the only club without a point, but stay last with a losing bonus.

Vannes score 33 points in 36 minutes

In the 39th minute, Pau led 40-7 at La Rabine. Axel Desperes Rigou had just scored his second try in five minutes and finished the game with 23 points. Vannes then scored 33 points, including four tries converted by Maxime Lafage, with Benjamin Stevenson scoring either side of half-time. Pau added only a penalty, in the 58th minute. Paul Surano’s try in the 76th minute, converted by Anthony Bouthier, brought the Bretons within three points, but no closer.

With six tries each, the game is the second highest-scoring of the season at 83 points, behind Pau – Bayonne (70-28) in round two. Pau stay second, while Vannes earn their first point after four defeats without a bonus.

Round five results

Toulouse win the tightest game of the season

Fifteen points in all: Castres – Toulouse is the lowest-scoring of the 35 Top 14 games played this season. Juan Cruz Mallia opened the scoring with a penalty, Matthis Lebel scored the only Toulouse try before the break, and Florent Vanverberghe’s converted try in the 45th minute only brought Castres within a point. Toulouse had two players sin-binned, Joel Merkler in the 22nd minute and Mallia in the 50th, and conceded nothing during either spell. It is their fourth straight win since the opening-day defeat at La Rochelle. Castres take a losing bonus.

Montpellier nil Toulon

No team had finished a Top 14 game without scoring this season. Toulon did at Montpellier (28-0), for the first time since their 66-0 defeat at La Rochelle in January. Hugo Miotti kicked three penalties and two conversions, and Christopher Tolofua and Wilfrid Hounkpatin, with two, scored the three tries for the bonus point. Lenni Nouchi, out since injuring his ankle against Japan in July, came on in the 67th minute and was shown an orange card two minutes later. Montpellier climb to fifth.

UBB settle it in one half

Bordeaux-Bègles led Lyon 39-7 at the break, with six tries, and finished with eight tries to four. Cameron Woki scored two of them. Lyon, second before the round, have now lost twice in a row and slip to sixth.

Bayonne hold on despite Kerr-Barlow

Stade Français thought they had the win in the 62nd minute, after Tawera Kerr-Barlow’s brace and a Léo Barré try put them five points up (20-25). Esteban Capilla levelled, Joris Segonds (15 points) put Bayonne back in front with a penalty and Rodrigo Bruni sealed it in the 77th minute. The penalty try awarded to the Parisians in the last minute earned them a losing bonus.

La Rochelle and Racing run riot

Trailing 12-13 at half-time, La Rochelle scored 26 unanswered points against Clermont after the break, with tries from Théo Mac Farland, Antoine Hastoy, Paul Boudehent and Jack Nowell. Racing 92 scored eight tries against Perpignan (55-25), two of them by Antoine Gibert, with Ugo Seunes kicking six conversions. For the Catalans, Benjamin Urdapilleta scored eight points in 65 minutes and passed Romain Teulet: on 2,619 points according to the LNR, the 40-year-old Argentine is now the highest points scorer in the league’s history.

The table after five rounds

Montpellier are ahead of Lyon on the same points thanks to their overall points difference, as the two clubs have not met yet. Perpignan are above Castres for beating them in round two, and Clermont stay ahead of Stade Français, whom they also beat in round two.