26 September 2009: Perpignan make light work of Clermont to go top of the table, Stade Francais force a draw with Toulouse and Biarritz stun Toulon with a bonus-point win

Perpignan 19 Clermont 3; Toulouse 9 Stade Francais 9; Biarritz 23 Toulon 9; Montauban 12 Bourgoin 15; Racing-Metro 18 Montpellier 14 - Latest league table

Perpignan went back to the top of the Top 14 and served notice that the Bouclier de Brennus won't be leaving Stade Aimé-Giral in a hurry with a bonus-point win over Clermont.

The catalans attacked from the off, scoring within 90 seconds of the kick-off. From a scrum in the Clermont 22 Perpignan's backs ran the ball first right and then left, and when Clermont's shell-shocked defence finally cracked, USAP centre Jean-Philippe Grandclaude sprinted through the gap and touched down under the posts for Nicolas Laharrague to convert.

Laharrague missed two ambitious penalty attempts but after 13 minutes it was 14-0 to Perpignan after another superb backs move. Philip Burger, making his comeback after a 30-day suspension, was pulled down five metres short, but after two pick and goes from the supporting forwards, Nicolas Durand spun the ball out and South African flanker Gerrie Britz crossed for the second try.

USAP were as strong in defence as attack. When Julien Malzieu put fellow Clermont winger Napolioni Nalaga through on the halfway line, the Fijian was odds on to score, but the Catalan defence were in no mood to leak tries against last year's beaten finalists, and Burger and Candelon combined to smother the attack five metres from the line.

Brock James kicked Clermont's first points a minute later, and the visitors finally entered the fray, James making a 40-metre break deep into the Perpignan half before messing up his pass to Nalaga, and Malzieu setting off on a dashing run after catching a Laharrague up and under only for full back Anthony Floch to spill the ball.

Clermont started the second half strongly but with attacks for Brent Russell, Nalaga and Wesley Fofana breaking down in the USAP 22, it was inevitably Perpignan who scored first. Hooker Guilhem Guirado broke from a maul and charged into Nalaga. From the ruck, David Marty caught replacement full back Jerome Porical bursting into the line, and Porical fed to Julien Candelon, who scored in the corner to claim a bonus point for the champions.

The game then saw a sequence of dismissals. First Alexandre Audebert was given 10 minutes for a late tackle on Laharrague, and as soon as he returned, a late tackle on Porical by Jamie Cudmore saw Perpignan duo Robins Tchale-Watchou and Jean-Pierre Perez look for retribution. Camerounian lock Tchale-Watchou got 10 minutes in the bin for taking the law into his own hands, while Cudmore saw red for what was in fact more of a yellow-card tackle.

It was 14 vs 13 on 67 minutes as Laharrague was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Brock James, but Clermont made light of the handicap by going on the offensive, their best chance being a chip through from James that Candelon just about managed to touch down before any yellow-shirted rivals arrived in goal.

On the hooter, Russell created another chance for Clermont but, typically on a poor afternoon for the perennial vice-champions, the move ended with a knock on, and USAP kept their bonus point to return to the top of the table.

The day's other top four clash was less impressive as Stade Francais held Toulouse to a 9-9 draw at Stadium Toulouse. The home team were booed off at the final whistle for a lacklustre display in which they only really looked their inventive selves as the clock ticked away in the final minutes.

For Toulouse, Freddie Michalak kicked two first-half penalties, with Jean-Baptise Elissalde adding a third on the hour. Stade's hero was Lionel Beauxis, who doubled his drop goal tally for the season with three drops, the third to tie the scores 15 minutes from time.

Beauxis's teammate Noel Oelschig tried to kill off the game eight minutes from time with a 22-metre drop goal attempt, before Toulouse spent the last five minutes pressing for the crucial score. The final attack was snuffed out by a huge James Haskell tackle on Census Johnston, and Paris will be happy with the two points. Toulouse - already under pressure from press and public alike - continue to search for inspiration this season.

Third-placed Toulon went to Biarritz hoping to confirm their championship credentials, but came away well beaten and having conceded a bonus point to the improving Basques, who take their place behind the top two. Sebastien Fauqué opened the scoring with a fourth minute penalty, but then Biarritz took control. No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy's blindside break set up the hosts' first try on 11 minutes, and hooker Benoit August broke from a maul on 25 minutes and raced over unhindered.

Biarritz had a good shout for a penalty try four minutes later when Toulon full back Rory Lamont pulled down Damien Traille after the Biarritz centre had chipped to chase, but the Basques had to be content with playing 14 men for 10 minutes. But it was the visitors who scored next, Fauqué kicking his second penalty after two misses that would have had bench-bound Jonny Wilkinson coughing into his tracksuit.

Fauqué's third penalty on 49 minutes closed the gap to 12-9, but it could have been more - Joe van Niekerk created a superb overlap only for kiwi prop Saimone Taumoepea to drop the pass with the line at his mercy.

Valentin Courrent restored the nine-point lead with two quick penalties before Biarritz earned their bonus point with a try for Dimitri Yachvili. From a five-metre line-out, Yachvili joined the maul and was carried over by his forwards.

Toulon rallied late on but the Basques' defence held firm and the visitors were facing up to their first point-less match of the season.

And talking of pointless matches, the distinctly mid-table Montauban-Bourgoin clash degenerated into a kicking contest won by Benjamin Boyet with virtually the last kick of the game. Boyet kicked five penalties, but the Bourgoin fly-half saved the best for last, his 55-metre penalty having the legs to claim all four points when a 12-all draw was looking likely.

Montauban scrum-half Julien Audy kicked four penalties for the hosts, who swap places with Bourgoin in 10th and 11th places.

Below them lie Racing-Metro and Montpellier, with Racing climbing out of the drop zone with a hard-fought 18-14 victory over their visitors. The headline story will be Sebastien Chabal's first try for his new club, the Paris poster boy, playing at No.8, pulling off a classic pick-up and go from the base of a five-metre scrum to give Racing the lead on 36 minutes.

Julien Tomas had already opened the try scoring on 18 minutes, the scrum-half nipping over from two metres after centre Florian Nicot had been tackled short of the line.

Andrew Mehrtens kicked two penalties to give Racing a 13-7 half time lead, but Montpellier regained the lead on the hour when Francois Trinh-Duc intercepted a pass from prop Mikaele Tuugahala to Mehrtens and raced 50 metres to score under the posts.

But thoughts of an away win were soon dispelled when Racing centre Henry Chavancy reacted quickest to opposite number Geoffroy Dumayrou's fumble, hacked the loose ball downfield and won the race the ground the ball, adding the conversion for good measure.

There was still drama to come as Montpellier lock Drickus Hancke fed flanker Jerome Vallée out of the tackle and saw Vallée cross for the try. Unfortunately for the visitors, the video ref said the ball had been held up and although fijian No.8 Sakiysa Matadigo got to within a metre of the line from the resuloting scrum, prop Philemon Toleafoa was penalised for holding on and Montpellier's last chance of a win had gone and Racing climbed out of the red zone, for a week at least.