Top 14 - Round 9 Review
Clermont power past Bayonne
Scrum.com
October 3, 2009

Clermont Auvergne hit the Top 14 summit with a comprehensive 38-13 victory over Bayonne at Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin.

Flying Fijian Napoleoni Nalaga was again on fire, scoring two first half tries before Les Jaunards put in a strong second half display to pull away from the struggling Bayonne outfit. Benoit Baby opened the scoring with a third minute penalty and Pierre Bernard equalised before Nagusa crossed for his first try twenty minutes in, converted by Brock James.

James added a second penalty and Nalaga was again the thorn in Bayonne's side and he touched down for his second try on the half hour mark, and James made no mistake to add the extras and give last season's finalists a seventeen point cushion. But the visitors wouldn't lie down, and inside centre Sam Gerber crossed to bring his side back into the game before the break, converted by Bernard but James again stretched the lead with a penalty on the whistle.

Another James penalty put Clermont further in front before second row Loic Jacquet crashed over a the 59th minute try which James again converted before South African Brent Russell claimed the bonus point with the fourth try after 65.

Castres edged out Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon in a tense encounter in the Pyrenees, coming out on top of a 21-19 scoreline. The hosts failed to score a try but the Romain Teulet's trusty boot saw him notch up fifteen points with two Cameron McIntyre drop goals to secure the victory. Wilkinson and McIntyre exchanged three pointers before Mafileo Kefu crossed for what would be the game's only try thirteen minutes in and Wilkinson added the conversion to give the visitors a 10-3 lead.

Teulet scored three penalties to a solitary Wilkinson effort as Toulon led by a point before the break, but the Englishman dropped a goal four minute into the second half to extend Toulon's lead. But that was as good as it got for the visitors as Teulet scored two penalties to give Castres the lead before McIntyre dropped his second goal to make it 21-16. Toulon never gave up and Wilkinson got them back within two, but they had to make do with a losing bonus point.

Meanwhile, Toulouse had a successful trip along the south coast as they came away from Montpellier with a three try victory on a 30-12 scoreline.

Guy Noves' men certainly hit the ground running, and they were 24-0 ahead within an opening nineteen minute blitz. Florian Fritz opened the scoring with a sixth minute try before Vincent Clerc got in on the act six minutes later with Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde adding the conversions.

Former Montpellier number 8 Louis Picamoles crossed for the third try after fifteen minutes, and Ellisalde again converted before adding a drop goal to complete the stunning start. The only question must be, how did they not get a fourth try and a bonus point?

Credit to Montpellier, they weathered the storm somewhat and Olivier Sarramea got them off the mark before the break with a converted try. Ellisalde kicked two second half penalties, with his international team mate Francois Trinh-Duc crossing for a second home try.

Racing Metro leapfogged Montauban with a hard fought 17-12 victory in Paris. The visitors were unable to breach the hosts' defence, after Jerome Fillol struck for an early try for Metro.

All Black legend Andrew Mehrtens added two penalties to make the score 11-0 before scrum-half Julien Audy brought his side back into the game with two penalties either side of half time.

With Metro centre Henry Chavancy in the sin bin, Montauban pushed but Mehrtens sent his third penalty over and Frans Steyn dropped a goal to give their side a cushion that two Audy penalties couldn't bridge.

The action kicked off on Friday night with Stade Francais crushing Brive 44-16 at Stade Jean Bouin in Paris.

The hosts extended their unbeaten run to four games with winger Mark Gasnier notching two of his side's five tries. Openside Antoin Burban, centre Geoffroy Messina and blindside James Haskell also crossed for the home side with the kicking exploits of scrum-half Noel Oelschig, fly-half Lionel Beauxis and replacement No.9 Julien Dupuy sharing 19 points.

A penalty and a drop goal from Brive fly-half Andy Goode kept his side in touch in the first half but a try from No.8 Antonie Claassen after the break was little more than a consolation.

Stade entered the game off the back of a dour 9-9 draw with title rivals Toulouse, while Brive found some much-needed wind for their sails by seeing off Castres 11-9 last Friday. The visitors were bolstered by the return of England No.10 Goode while the hosts were able to select Italian No.8 Sergio Parisse for the first time this season after serving a ban for making contact with the eyes of New Zealand lock Isaac Ross.

Brive took the lead with an early drop goal from Goode but Burban's try, converted by Oelschig, gave Stade the lead soon after and they would not relinquish it again. A penalty from Beauxis followed by two more from Oelschig stretched the home side's lead with Goode's first penalty keeping his side in the game.

Messina, a replacement for Mathieu Bastareaud, added a try after the re-start and Gasnier crossed for two tries in three minutes just short of the our mark to put the game beyond Brive. Haskell made the most of his opportunity to impress the visiting England manager Martin Johnson with his side's final try as the game entered the last ten minutes with Oelschig and Dupuy weighing in with four second half conversions.

In the weekend's final game, Bourgoin heaped woe on Albi with a 26-16 win at the Stade Pierre Rajon. Tries from winger Rudi Coetzee, fly-half Benjamin Boyet and lock Coenie Basson carried the hosts to their fifth win of the season.

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