Top 14 round 9: Vannes topple UBB, Pau run riot

The last round before a three-week international break.

Vannes beat UBB for the first time

Playing at La Beaujoire in Nantes, promoted Vannes beat Bordeaux-Bègles 23-14, their first win over UBB in three Top 14 meetings. Matias Alemanno scored in the 10th minute, but Joseph Laharrague’s boot brought the visitors back to 7-6 at half-time. Vannes made the difference while Louis Favrau was in the sin-bin (61st): Santiago Medrano scored in the 67th and Jean Cotarmanac’h kicked a penalty in the 73rd. Elyjah Ibsaiene pulled one back in the 80th before Inia Tabuavou sealed it with the last play.

It is Vannes’ second win, after Clermont. They stay bottom on 9 points, five behind Castres. UBB, without their internationals, leave empty-handed and drop to fourth. The double reigning European champions have won all four home games this season but only two of five away, conceding 30 points a game on the road. All three defeats, at Toulouse, Perpignan and against Vannes, came away from Chaban-Delmas, two of them against sides in the bottom three. They also lost Romain Buros, stretchered off after a collision with Dan du Plessis.

Pau 42-0 after 35 minutes

Pau ran in nine tries against Perpignan (63-26), six of them before the 36th minute. Grégoire Arfeuil, called into the France squad on Sunday, and Clément Laporte both scored twice. Pau have the league’s best attack with 356 points and have won their last twenty regular-season games at the Hameau. Their last home defeat in the regular season was on 19 April 2025 against UBB (22-26); the only exception since was the play-off lost to Racing 92 (31-33) in June. The season’s top score is still theirs: 70 against Bayonne in September.

Rebbadj hat-trick, Dréan scores on his return

Toulon beat Stade Français 43-23 with a bonus point. Rayan Rebbadj scored three tries (18th, 46th, 76th), and Gaël Dréan, five months after heart surgery, scored in the 63rd minute. Melvyn Jaminet kicked four penalties. Stade Français’ Mathieu Hirigoyen was sent off in the 65th minute for foul play on Gaël Fickou.

Montpellier edge it, Toulouse win, Racing snatch it

Lyon led 16-7 in Montpellier in the 55th minute, before Tom Banks and Christopher Tolofua, with his second try, turned it round (21-19). Third-placed Montpellier have the league’s best defence. Lyon take a losing bonus point.

Toulouse beat Clermont 28-18 with three tries in 27 minutes from Julien Marchand, Teddy Thomas and Simon Daroque, but lost two more scrum-halves. In Castres, Racing 92 won 30-28 with an Ugo Seunes penalty after the siren. Castres, 13th, sit in the play-off place.

La Rochelle bounce back

La Rochelle beat Bayonne 22-18 after two straight defeats. Watisoni Waqanisaravi and Dillyn Leyds scored in the first half and Jules Favre in the 72nd, before Madosha Tambwe’s late try earned Bayonne a losing bonus point. La Rochelle have conceded 86 points in the three games since defence coach Romain Carmignani’s departure was announced on 12 October, nearly 29 a game, against 22.5 over the first six rounds.

The numbers after nine rounds

Théo Forner (Perpignan), Gabin Lorre and Jiuta Wainiqolo (Lyon) top the try-scoring chart with seven each. Rodrigo Marta (Pau), Teddy Thomas (Toulouse) and Christopher Tolofua (Montpellier), who scored twice on Saturday, have six. Rayan Rebbadj moves to five with his hat-trick.

Harry Plummer (Clermont) is the leading points scorer with 93, ahead of Melvyn Jaminet (Toulon, 79) and Joe Simmonds (Pau, 74). Montpellier, the best defence, are also the most penalised side: ten yellow cards and two orange. Clermont have had the fewest yellows, four.

Results

Standings after nine rounds

Montpellier are ahead of UBB on points difference, as the two have not met yet. Racing are above Perpignan thanks to their 55-25 win in round 5. The Top 14 breaks for the Nations Championship and resumes on 28 November.