19 September 2009: Clermont romp to a six-try win at Albi to stay top, Stade Francais claim bonus point against Bourgoin and Courrent kicks Biarritz to victory at Brive

Albi 8 Clermont 40; Stade Francais 20 Bourgoin 6; Brive 12 Biarritz 15  - Latest league table

Clermont became the first team to retain the top spot this season with a 40-8 thrashing of Relegated Albi. Six players shared les Auvergnats tries, hooker Willie Wepener opening the scoring after six minutes with a pushover try, and Julien Malzieu opened the account for the backs four minutes later, the winger racing 70 metres to score after scrum-half Kevin Senio had caught attacking Albi napping with a tap penalty.

Albi outside half Blair Stewart kicked a penalty on 28 minutes, but Clermont struck back with a try from flanker Julien Bardy, and took a 26-3 lead eight minutes into the second half when Julien Bonnaire won a line out and cantered 20 metres to score.

Albi responded with what was already a consolation score for full-back Benjamin Lapeyre, but one Stewart break apart, Clermont dominated the last 20 minutes and looked dangerous on every break. Their persistence paid off with two tries in the last couple of minutes, the first breaking Napoleoni Nalaga's try drought as the Fijian winger scored his first try since the opening day of the season. And on the whistle, South African full back Brent Russell scored his third try of the season to complete the rout.

Stade Francais also picked up a bonus point with three tries in their 20-6 win over Bourgoin. After some early pressure, the visitors scored first with a ninth minute drop goal from fly half Alberto di Bernardo, but Paris responded with a superb team try, Mirco Bergamasco completing a move started by scrum-half Julien Dupuy and passing through the hands of Noel Oelschig, Ollie Palmer, James Haskell and Mathieu Blin before the Italian centre touched down.

The Parisians would have wanted a bigger half-time lead than 8-3, and made amends from the restart when No.8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon burst through the Bourgoin defence and passed to winger Julien Arias who scored in the corner.

Bourgoin's response was  a concerted series of attacks that could only yield a single Di Bernardo penalty, and although they were dominating the forward battles, the Argentinian was unable to convert the pressure into more points, and Paris claimed a bonus point seven minutes from time when big Mathieu Bastareaud smashed through Di Bernardo to score his first try since his summer woes.

Biarritz moved into the top three, overnight at least, with a 15-12 win at Brive. Valentin Courrent kicked all the Basques' points with four penalties and a decisive 35-metre drop goal midway through the second half.

Luciano Orquera had kicked three first-half penalties to give the home side a 9-6 interval lead, but les Brivistes failed to capitalise on their two-man advantage after the break after Biarritz props Eduard Coetzee and Mosese Moala were handed yellow cards within a few minutes of each other.

Brive also saw double-yellow, full-back Fabrice Estebanez getting 10 for a first-half high tackle, and flanker Gerhard Vosloo walking for the same offence at a crucial point midway through the second. Courrent kicked three points thanks to Vosloo's offence to tie the scores after an unlikely drop from Viliame Waqaceduadua had restored Brive's lead, and with the game in the balance, added his drop goal on 63 minutes.

Courrent missed a 50-metre effort to seal the win and Takudzwa Ngwenya had a try disallowed by the video ref, but Biarritz held on for their fourth win of an improving campaign.