The top three in the Top 14 are now separated by two points.
Beaten for the first time since the opening weekend, Toulouse keep first place, but Bordeaux and Pau now have the same six wins. Pau remain unbeaten at home this season, with four wins from four.
Pau 34-14 Toulouse
Pau led from the start. Facundo Isa scored in the 7th minute and Tumua Manu in the 12th, just after Alexandre Roumat’s yellow card. They were 17-0 up when the game turned: Julián Montoya was sent to the bin in the 32nd minute and Beka Gorgadze in the 40th. Down to 13, Pau conceded to Thomas Lacombre before the break and to Lukas Amati in the 48th (17-14).
Toulouse did not score again. Isa got his second in the 58th, Joe Simmonds added a penalty in the 73rd, and Gorgadze, back on the pitch, finished it in the 79th. Simmonds landed all four conversions and two penalties for 14 points. With a two-try margin, Pau miss out on the bonus point. Pau have won five of their last six home league games against Toulouse.
Round 8 results
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Clermont v Racing 92 | 37-30 |
| Stade Français v La Rochelle | 43-24 |
| Lyon v Vannes | 48-25 |
| Bordeaux v Bayonne | 19-14 |
| Perpignan v Toulon | 24-25 |
| Montpellier v Castres | 69-10 |
| Pau v Toulouse | 34-14 |
Montpellier: 69 points, ten tries
Montpellier led 29-3 at the break and finished with ten tries, three of them between the 74th and 76th minutes. Christopher Tolofua and Mael Perrin scored two each, and Adam Hastings kicked 19 points. Montpellier had never scored as many in a league game; their previous high was 66, against Toulouse in 2018.
The 59-point margin equals Castres’ heaviest defeat, a 62-3 loss at La Rochelle in October 2020. Reda Wardi received an orange card in the 67th minute. Montpellier have the league’s best points difference (+103), while Castres, in 12th, have lost five of eight.
Toulon with the last play
In Perpignan, the home side went ahead in the 77th through Théo Forner, after James Hall’s try in the 69th. Toulon answered with the final play, a driving maul finished by Junior Kpoku, who had been yellow-carded in the 66th. Toulon win 25-24 and Perpignan take a losing bonus point. The Catalans also lost Jacobus van Tonder and Maxim Granell to injury in the first half.
Bordeaux edge it, Nicotera hat-trick
Bordeaux scored their first two tries while Bayonne were short of Rodrigo Bruni and Léo Coly (14-0 at half-time). Bayonne levelled at 14-14 through Guillaume Cramont and Alexandre Fischer before Hugo Avogadro’s winner in the 77th.
Stade Français beat La Rochelle 43-24 with six tries, three of them from hooker Giacomo Nicotera, and take the bonus point. La Rochelle were awarded a penalty try in the 70th.
Vannes led Lyon 17-12 at half-time, but Lyon scored 36 points after the break and eight tries in all, two from Gabin Lorre. Clermont beat Racing 92 37-30 with 17 points from Harry Plummer; Racing, in 13th, take a losing bonus point.
The standings after eight rounds
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toulouse | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | +58 | 28 |
| 2 | Bordeaux | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | +75 | 27 |
| 3 | Pau | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | +57 | 26 |
| 4 | Montpellier | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | +103 | 23 |
| 5 | Lyon | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | +18 | 23 |
| 6 | Toulon | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | +22 | 21 |
| 7 | Bayonne | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | -33 | 19 |
| 8 | Stade Français | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 |
| 9 | La Rochelle | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | -16 | 18 |
| 10 | Clermont | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -23 | 16 |
| 11 | Perpignan | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -39 | 15 |
| 12 | Castres | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -78 | 13 |
| 13 | Racing 92 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -63 | 11 |
| 14 | Vannes | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | -81 | 5 |
Key figures
28 points for Toulouse, still top despite defeat at Pau
4/4 home wins for Pau this season
69 points for Montpellier against Castres, their league record
59 point margin, equalling Castres' heaviest defeat
3 tries for Giacomo Nicotera against La Rochelle
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