Capilla and Carreras doubles send Bayonne top in France / Photo: Gaizka IROZ - AFP
Capilla and Carreras doubles send Bayonne top in France
Back row forward Esteban Capilla and wing Mateo Carreras scored two tries each as Bayonne thumped Clermont 44-17 on Saturday to move back to the French Top 14 summit.
The Basques ran in six tries to earn their first attacking bonus of the season and return to the top of the table a week after losing the lead to Pau, who had thrashed them 47-24 to take over first spot.
Bayonne's lead will not last long, though, as Pau and Toulouse, who started the weekend second, play later on Saturday and whoever wins that will finish the weekend in first place.
The hosts at the Jean-Dauger stadium set their way towards an 18th straight home victory with three first-half tries -- as Capilla grabbed his first before wing Arnaud Erbinartegaray and scrum-half Baptiste Germain also crossed the whitewash.
Clermont had only a Tom Raffy penalty to show for their first half efforts and although hooker Folau Fainga'a gave them hope with an early second-half score, Bayonne soon put the game to bed.
Explosive Argentine back Carreras scored twice and Capilla added his second as Bayonne made light of a lengthy injury list that deprived them of 15 players.
Back row Selevasio Tolofua's late score for the Jaunards was little more than a consolation.
A much-changed Stade Francais moved up to second as a last-minute penalty from Louis Foursans-Bourdette earned them a losing bonus point in a 29-24 reverse at Castres.
Former England wing Jack Nowell was one of eight try-scorers for La Rochelle, who thrashed newly-promoted Montauban 54-19, despite resting France internationals Nolann Le Garrec and Gregory Alldritt.
Fijian back-row forward Levani Botia also scored a try and New Zealander fly-half Ihaia West kicked five conversions for the two-time Champions Cup winners.
Montauban scored three tries of their own but a fourth successive thrashing on their travels has seen them concede more than 250 points and 38 tries in that time.
They remain above Perpignan at the bottom, though, as the Catalans lost for the seventh time in as many matches this season with a 27-12 defeat at home to Champions Cup holders Bordeaux-Begles.
The pick of Bordeaux's three tries was an individual effort by France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, who set off from his own 22 with a quickly-taken tap penalty to score the final effort on 64 minutes.
Argentine centre Justo Piccardo, who recently lit up the Rugby Championship, scored one of Montpellier's five tries in their 35-13 victory over Lyon that left both sides in mid-table.
Toulon host Racing 92 in the last match of the weekend on Sunday.
A.Fischer--MP
