Clermont are crippled by calls from Les Bleus
“Clermont could not overcome the handicap of having six French internationals training with their country for the Six Nations tournament”
Clermont look almost certain to lose the leadership of the Top 14 today, an event worth recording for a team who had been unbeaten for 13 games at home and abroad.
That should be the direct consequence of giving best to Castres, their 21-13 conquerors yesterday.
Having been the team to catch so far, Clermont could not overcome the handicap of having six French internationals training with their country for the Six Nations tournament.
And Toulouse, who trail them by only three points, have only to beat relegation-threatened Grenoble at home this lunch-time to go top.
Even though they are shorn of SEVEN internationals, the job ought not to be beyond them against a promoted team struggling in 12th place.
Castres, who beat Gloucester on the way out of the Champions Cup, once again found their form at home where they had already lost three times this season.
Clermont, their brilliant halves Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez both elsewhere, were unlucky to lose flyhalf Patricio Fernandez early to a hamstring injury.
By that time, though, Castres wingers Armand Batlle and Martin Laveau, a prolific 21-year-old signing from Bayonne, had already scored the tries that gave them a 15-3 lead.
That was pegged back to two points by tries either side of the break by Fijian No.8 Peceli Yato and winger Remy Grosso.
Yato, weighing in already at 20 stones, had piled on the pounds in summer to adopt his central position in the scrum and power over the line. Grosso profited from an interception.
In the end, though, Castres fly-half Bernard Urdapilleta, who had let eight first-half points slip from his usually reliable boot, rediscovered his accuracy to deny Clermont even a bonus point with three penalties.
La Rochelle, hanging onto the coattails of Clermont and Toulouse, almost let go during their thrilling 27-25 victory over Montpellier.
In fact, they trailed by ten points early in the second half to a team expensively assembled and yet struggling in ninth place.
Montpellier, knocked out of Europe, now see their top-six chances fade badly despite scoring three times on one of the most formidable grounds in the Top 14.
Those tries were scored by South Africans Henry Immelman, wing, Jan Serfontein, centre, and Jacques du Plessis, No.8, the latter establishing a 22-12 lead.
La Rochelle, despite an early yellow card for lock Julien Le Devedec, are a feared outfit under the direction of Jono Gibbes, not long arrived from coaching in New Zealand.
His new partnership with former French international Xavier Garbajosa has give the team fresh impetus.
Scrum-half Alexi Bales started the recovery and his try was followed by others from lock Romain Sazy and full-back Vincent Rattez.
The difference in a tight game came from Fijian lock Jone Qovu whose try levelled the scores with five minures to play. That left Kiwi fly-half Ihaia West a nerve-testing conversion which he accomplished to the delight of another sell-out crowd.
Bordeaux-Begles, under the guidance of Joe Worsley, celebrated the 200th appearance of Aussie winger Blair Connor with a 25-17 win over Agen. And Connor, the only survivor from the team that won promotion to the Top 14 eight years ago, marked the event with a try for himself.
Agen, meanwhile, are still anchored to the relegation zone despite a spirited display launched by an early try from fly-half Leo Berdeu, 20, a French Riviera boy who used to watch Jonny Wilkinson perform miracles at Toulon from the stands.
Two tries just before and after the interval sealed Agen’s fate, though, from wingers Romain Buros and AllBlack Seti Tamanivalu, who scored his first after his arrival from Crusaders was long delayed by a back injury.
A first-half yellow card for South African centre John Sadie caused no real damage to Agen, who struck back with a try from Argentine hooker Facunda Bosch and a Berdeu penalty. The bonus, that could yet prove critical to their survival, just eluded them.
Perpignan, in even deeper trouble than Agen, had lost all 14 games and targeted their hosting of Pau as their last chance of revolt. Now it is 15 and counting after Pau beat them 30-24 to arrest their own alarming slide.
Perpignan, never ahead throughout, should have been so with three tries from Tongan centre Sione Piukala, fly-half Enzo Selpani and Cook Islands lock Shahn Eru.
Unhappily for them, they conceded a raft of penalties. Unwise with ex-AllBlack Colin Slade, who scored six of them, around the place.
Pau scored an early try from scrumhalf Thibault Daubagna and a later one from Fijian centre Watisoni Votu.
Stade Francais captain Sergio Parisse has called for unity to defuse the crisis provoked by the sacking, notably, of coach Julien Dupuy.
He hopes that can cement fourth place today at Toulon who have two midfield stars leaving at the end of the season. Centre Mathieu Bastareaud is close to a deal with Sharks in South Africa and fly-half Francois TrinhDuc is courted by Racing as well as Clermont and his old club Montpellier.