4 December 2009: A superb performance from Montauban's forwards, along with two well-worked tries and solid defence from the whole team, helped them to a 20-15 win over Clermont

Montauban 20 Clermont 15 - Latest league table

Vilimoni Delasau and Jean-Philippe Viard scored a try in each half for the Sapiac team, and although Clermont's backs threatened late on, the hosts' defence held out for their first win in four matches.

Montauban's bullocking forwards were the stars of the night, their maul making inroads into the Clermont half early on, although it was the visitors who scored the first points, scrum half Morgan Parra - given the tee with Brock James on the bench - picking up a 40-metre penalty 18 minutes in.

Leonard Olivier, making only his second start of the season, tied the scores five minutes later with a 45-metre effort, and Montauban went on the attack from the restart, centre Rida Jahouer being stopped five metres short of the tryline, before Clermont held firm in the face of a series of pick and goes from the hosts.

The pressure paid off when Montauban took a defensive scrum five against the head, scrum-half Mathieu Belié fed Olivier, who threw a looping pass for former Clermont star Delasau to score in the corner.

Julien Malzieu made a 40-metre break downfield only to be clattered by Montauban prop Bogdan Balan, and Clermont kept the pressure on after the interval, Parra earning instant reward with a 25-metre penalty after Jahouer loitered too long around the tackle area for the referee's liking.

A rampant Clermont were pushing for a third score when they lost the ball near the Montauban 22, Delasau hacked ahead and chased the ball upfield for the hosts to set up a ruck 15 metres from the tryline. Belié put a high ball up into the corner, straight into the arms of Viard who simply had to fall over to claim the second try. Number 10 converted for a 17-6 lead.

Parra closed the gap to eight points with a straightforward penalty, before the game degenerated into 10 minutes of aerial ping pong. Eventually something had to give, and with 12 minutes to go Anthony Floch burst into the Montauban half only to be brought down 10 metres short. Clermont recycled through five phases, but the home defence were intent on keeping their tryline intact, and only when Jean-Philippe Viard stopped an Aurelien Rougerie dash for the line with a shoulder charge did Clermont get a chance to add to their score, Parra kicking his fourth penalty from 20 metres.

From the restart, a long punt downfield was knocked on my Delasau, and Clermont attacked from the scrum, but Montuaban's pack repelled them backwards, and when the visitors were caught offside at a ruck, Rosalen's 41-metre penalty restored the two-score margin.

Clermont came straight back, Gavin Williams and Rougerie making threatening breaks deep into the Montauban half but coming up against that solid black and green wall. Parra regained the losing bonus point with his fifth penalty, but the hosts held on for a great win.