6 September 2009: Clermont fly-half James sees off Toulouse, USAP go top with Paris victory, Toulon's unbeaten run ends and Castres shake off the flu to crush Montpellier

Clermont 19 Toulouse 12; Racing-Metro 14 Perpignan 18; Montauban 21 Toulon 18; Castres 33 Montpellier 18; Bayonne 53 Bourgoin 6; Brive 39 Albi 6; Biarritz 30 Stade Francais 22

It wasn't pretty, but Clermont won't care as they went back to winning ways with a 19-12 win over Toulouse, Brock James the star of the show, scoring 14 points and setting up the only try of the match.

Early exchanges saw James and Freddy Michalak exchange penalties, and both teams went close to scoring the first try, a Florien Fritz attack being held up short of the line before two Brock James chips into the corners almost set up first Napolioni Nalaga and then Seremaia Bai but for great Toulouse defence. Bai was injured in the challenge that prevented his try, but his replacement Brent Russell made an immediate impact. From an eight-metre scrum, a clever training-field mis-move saw Aurelien Rougerie step out of the way of James's pass and South African Russell burst into the line to score unchallenged with his first touch.

Toulouse lock Yoan Maestri was sent to the sinbin for a minor bagarre, but a James penalty aside, Clermont failed to capitalise, although they will be greatful that Michalak hooked a penalty kick which would have made it 13-6, and that attacks from Louis Picamoles and Cedric Heymans came to nothing, and the teams turned round at 13-3.

Michalak eventually closed the gap with a penalty straight after the break, but as the game got a little scrappy, Toulouse indiscipline gave James the chance to kick two more penalties for 19-6. With 20 minutes to go, a superb break by Yannick Nyanga and Picamoles led to Elvis Vermeulen seeing yellow for entering the ruck from the side, and Michalak cut the gap to 10 points with his last touch of the game as Jean-Baptiste Elissalde came on as a replacement.

In the final quarter, Toulouse, and in particular Nyanga and Picamoles, gave it everything but with time against them, rushed too many moves and were frenquently punished by James's boot as he pumelled the ball back downfield. With five minutes left, Toulouse's efforts paid off as Elissalde kicked a penalty to give them a losing bonus point. But bent on ensuring their visitors went home with nothing, Clermont drove downfield to play out the game in Toulouse's 22, and although Toulouse managed one late foray into the Jaunards' half, they couldn't break through and Clermont held on for the victory that takes them to second place in the table.

Champions Perpignan return to the top of the Top 14 with an 18-14 victory at Racing-Metro's Stade Colombes. Racing took an 11-0 lead 26 minutes into the first half when centre Henry Chavancy got the nod from the video ref after a flowing backs move. But by half-time it was 11-all, as first Jerome Porical cancelled out Andrew Mehrtens' early penalties with two kicks of his own, and then on 38 minutes a well worked line-out saw centre scrum-half Nicolas Durand cross to tie the scores.

It could have been more for USAP had outside-half Gavin Hume not been held up by a strong Racing defence early in the first period, but the Parisians had golden chances to regain the lead at the start of the second half only for Andrew Mehrtens to miss two penalty attempts, the first a tricky 40-metre effort, the second a 22-metre gimme.

Five minutes after his second slip, the Catalans took the lead. A knock-on from Sebastien Chabal earned USAP a scrum in the Racing 22, and from the ensuing ruck, Cameroon lock Robins Tchale Watchou charged through the Paris defence and set up Maxime Mermoz to score. Porical converted for an 18-11 lead, but missed three chances to kill off the game, the first a short 30-metre drop goal before he hit a 50-metre penalty attempt to the right of the posts and followed that up with a miss from 40 metres on 68 minutes.

The visitors could have rued those missed opportunities when Fabien Fortassin kicked his first penalty on 74 minutes, but Fab missed a 30-metre penalty attempt two minutes later, and although Racing spent the last few minutes of the match camped in the USAP 22, the Perpignan defence held out and the champions held on to claim the top spot.

Toulon could have ended the weekend top of the pile had a Cedric Rosalen penalty not ended their unbeaten start to the season in injury time at Stade Sapiac. Montauban were better value for the win, scoring two tries to the visitors none, but the boot of Sebastien 'Not Jonny' Fauqué kept the visitors in touch and it took a big final effort from the home side and Rosalen's last-gasp penalty to seal the win.

Montauban's tries came from flanker Julien Raynaud after a blindside run by Vilimoni Delasau on eight minutes, and the fijian winger himself bagged a 51st minute score, taking three tacklers over the line with him and getting the benefit of the video ref's doubt when the ball had appeared to go forward in the grounding.

Toulon's defeat leaves Castres as the only unbeaten team in the Top 14, and they made it three out of three with a 33-18, bonus-point victory over Montpellier. A swine flu outbreak meant this was Castres' first match in 15 days, and they began like they were still dosed up with Night Nurse as Montpellier's Benoit Paillaugue had a bit of kicking practice, kicking a 12th minute penalty, missing a 16th minute effort after Castres scrum-half Alexandre Albouy had receive a yellow card but succeeding with another attempt to give the visitors a 6-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Castres were level by half time, Romain Teulet kicking a 28th minute penalty and adding a second on the hooter after Montpellier flanker Vassili Bost had received temporary marching orders. Teulet's third after the break gave Castres a 9-6 lead they wouldn't relinquish, and their first try came just four minutes into the second period. Camped in the visitors' 22, backs Yoan Audrin and Marc Andreu tried in vain to charge over before leaving it to the big guys – Samoan No.8 Josefa Tekori eventually broke the line to score, and Teulet converting for a 16-6 lead.

Five minutes later it was 23-6 and Montpellier were wondering where their 6-0 lead had got to. This time the back did all the work from a 10-metre penalty and after their charge it was just left for Albouy to feed Teulet to add a try to his work with the boot. Paillaugue gave Montpellier brief hope of a bonus point with three penalties to reduce the gap to 23-15, but a dominant Castres completed a superb second-half performance with Teulet's fourth penalty on 70 minutes and bagged a bonus point three minutes from time when Montpellier collapsed a third successive scrum five and the referee had no choice but to award a penalty try.

Bayonne and Brive also picked up bonus points. The Basques scored seven tries against a tired Bourgoin, Pepito Elhorga, Jean-Baptise Peyras-Loustalet and Brendan Fall all scoring a try in each half and kiwi lock Ross Filipo bagging one for the forwards a minute from time. Benat Arrayet added 14 points with the boot, with Benjamin Boyet kicking all of Bourgoin's points in the 53-6 thrashing.

Bayonne coach Richard Dourthe was delighted his players showed their potential after a hot and cold start to the season. "We've come out of a series of difficult matches where we've played three semi-finalists. We've proved that we can live with them, and if I've been angry, it's because we know how well our players can play and that they are not playing to their abilities. Today, everyone saw how well they can play."

Brive ran in five tries in their 39-6 victory over Relegated Albi. Les jaunes obviously like the colour yellow as three of the visiting players picked up yellow cards, and Brive took full advantage. Centre Ron Cooke scored their only effort of a tight first half that ended 13-6 to les Correzins, but the second-half was one-way traffic, Argentinian winger Horacia Agulla racing over two minutes after the break, No.8 Antonie Claassen scored the first of his two on 55 minutes before putting England centre Jamie Noon through for the fourth on 63 minutes. Claasen's second came three minutes from time. Full back Frederic Manca had given Albi the lead with two drop goals in the first quarter, but the promoted side await their first Top 14 win, and it's hard to see where it'll come from.

Joining them in the drop zone are the unlikely Stade Francais, whose only consolation from their visit to Stade Aguilera is that their injury time penalty try robbed Biarritz of a bonus point. The Basques led 17-9 at the break, Ikilena Bolakoro scoring the first try after an Iain Balshaw up-and-under had baffled Juan Manuel Leguizamon and allowed the fijian winger to gather and race in under the posts.

Two Noel Oelschig drop goals had dragged the Parisians back to 10-9, but after Bolakoro put Imanol Harinordoquy through only for the try to be refused for a foot in touch, kiwi flanker Samiu Vahafaulo racing 40 metres to score after intercepting Oelschig's tentative grubber.

Peyrolongue and Julien Dupuy swapped penalties before a 73rd minute try for Takudzwa Ngwenya appeared to hand Biarritz the bonus point. Dupuy fumbled a tap penalty in the Biarritz half, Courrent hacked the loose ball downfield and the USA winger beat everyone for speed to touch down.

With all hope of even a bonus point lost, Paris advanced to the Biarritz five-metre line only to be held up by the Basque defence. The siren sounded as Paris were awarded a scrum, which they chose to reset after Biarritz were penalised. Four minutes into injury time, the ball went wide, centre Guillaume Boussès tried to pass back inside only for his opposite number Damien Traille to palm the ball down. The referee decided it was deliberate and awarded a penalty try that left Biarritz short of a bonus point and Stade Francais 13th in the table.

Paris prop Sylvain Marconnet said a combination of factors was to blame for Stade's third defeat of the season. "We prepared well for this match but again the result was not positive. We are short of luck, confidence and composure since the start of the season. We are five games in and still looking for a good performance, so it's up to us to solve the problem."