Toulon rout Brive's missing men

Toulon enjoyed a six-try 41-24 win over Brive on Saturday in a bizarre French Top 14 clash which saw their rock-bottom visitors struggle through part of the match with four players in the sin bin.

Three-time European champions Toulon moved into the top four courtesy of tries from Anthony Belleau, Hugo Bonneval, a double from English winger Chris Ashton, Raphael Lakafia and a penalty score awarded in the last moments of the first half.

Three of the tries came when Brive's Fabien Sanconnie, Said Hireche and Gaetan Germain were all yellow-carded.

With prop Karlen Asieshvili also in the sin-bin, Brive were down to 11 men.

In another twist to the game, Asieshvili and Germain then redeemed themselves to a certain degree in the late stages of the game by scoring two of Brive's three tries.

Samuel Marques added the other score for weary Brive.

Later Saturday, champions Clermont host Stade Francais looking to get their title defence back on track after rediscovering their best form in the European Champions Cup.

Franck Azema's side notched up back-to-back victories over Ospreys and Northampton to put themselves in a strong position to qualify from Pool Two in Europe, but started the weekend six points off the top six domestically.

Clermont have lost all four of their Top 14 away games this campaign.

They will also have to make do without Camille Lopez for five months, after the French international fly-half broke his ankle against Northampton.

But they were boosted on Friday when it was announced that French international centre Wesley Fofana, who has been sidelined for nine months with a ruptured Achilles tendon, will make his return to the line-up.

Fofana, 29 and capped 44 times by France, will start the game at the same Marcel-Michelin stadium where he suffered his season-ending injury in a European Cup tie against Exeter in January.

Stade, who are level on points with Clermont, will be hoping to prove that their terrible start in Europe has not derailed a recent domestic revival.

The capital club were handed a seven-try thrashing at home by London Irish last week, having suffered a humiliating start to their defence of the Challenge Cup with a 34-29 loss to Siberian debutants Krasny Yar in Russia.

Surprise leaders Lyon take on struggling Oyonnax at the Stade de Gerland.

Lyon, who were only promoted to the top flight in 2016, are on a three-match winning run, buoyed by the arrivals at the club of France No. 8 Louis Picamoles, former New Zealand fly-half Aaron Cruden and South Africa stalwart Ruan Pienaar.

The big match on Sunday sees third-placed Toulouse visit last season's regular-season table-toppers La Rochelle, who are defending a 15-match unbeaten home run in the league dating back to May 2016.

Source: AFP