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Clermont make it 70 games unbeaten at home
ESPN Staff
December 29, 2013
Oyonnax's Lucas Amorosino is floored by Sitiveni Sivivatu of Clermont © Getty Images
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Clermont Auvergne have made it 70 games unbeaten at home after they dispatched Oyonnax 33-19 at the Stade Marcel de Michelin on Sunday. Les Jaunards were made to work hard for their win and crossed for three tries against the league's bottom side as Noa Nakaitaci, Fritz Lee and Benjamin Kayser all scored alongside 10 points from Mike Delany and eight from Brock James. Oyonnax battled valiantly with Pierre Aguillon and Jody Jenneker scoring. Stade Francais saw off Perpignan 19-12 in Paris despite losing three men to the sin-bin. In a game which was essentially the battle of the boot as Jerome Fillol slotted 14 of Stade's points compared to James Hook's 12-point haul for Perpignan, the sole score of the game came in the 31st minute thanks to a penalty try for Stade. The Parisians had Julien Arias, Pascal Pape and David Attoub all sent to the cooler. Toulouse slumped to a 21-13 defeat by Bayonne, the record four-time European champions denied a losing bonus point by a last-gasp penalty from Stephen Brett. Toulouse have lost every away match in the league this season and they are now nine points behind Clermont, whom they entertain next weekend. Louis Picamoles scored a try for the visitors as they led 13-8 at half-time, after Marvin O'Connor had crossed the stripe for the Basques, but former All Blacks Joe Rokocoko put the hosts back in front with a try on 64 minutes before fellow New Zealander Brett's clinching late kick. The result moved Bayonne a point above Oyonnax. Racing Metro, meanwhile, defeated Toulon 14-3. Johnny Sexton kicking three penalties and setting up a try for winger Marc Andreu for the hosts. Sexton quickly put his side into the lead with consecutive penalties before Jonny Wilkinson reduced the margin, but the match turned just after the break when Bakkies Botha was sent to the sin bin leaving the visitors a man down. Racing were quick to take advantage of the extra man with Sexton throwing a bullet pass to Andreu, who stepped inside Toulon full-back Delon Armitage and dived over. Sexton missed the conversion but soon added another penalty to complete the scoring. Elsewhere, Grenoble left it late to defeat a weakened Castres side 20-16. Alipati Raitini's try in the dying embers of the match was enough to secure the win against the champions, who opted to rest both Rory Kockott and Brice Dulin. Montpellier found it easy against the struggling Biarritz as they ran out 48-22 victors scoring six tries in total with Mamuka Gorgodze and Alex Tulou bagging a brace. And Bordeaux-Begles saw off Brive 27-23 with Jandre Marais crossing twice.
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