Trio share lead

Toulouse, who sit top thanks to a greater points difference than both Montpellier and Racing Metro, scored five tries on their way to a 38-29 win over Perpignan.

"We had a difficult beginning," said Toulouse backs coach Jean-Baptiste Elissalde.

"But the try of the blue by (Byron) Kelleher did us the world of good. It is not something we work on at training and is really an individual spirit.

"The team was in good spirits and nobody shied away from the job in hand when we were under pressure in the first-half.

"We kept on building move. The black mark, though, was our indiscipline which cost us lots of points."

Montpellier ran out easy 28-3 winners over Bourgoin, touching down three times and taking full advantage as the visitors saw both Alexandre Dumoulin and Alex Tulou sent to the sin-bin.

Toulon missed the chance to join them on 32 points at the top of the table as they were beaten 22-15 at Stade Francais after a last-gasp Ollie Phillips try.

Biarritz put themselves level on points with Toulon as a second-half try from Ilikena Bolakoro saw them record a come-from-behind 16- 13 win over Clermont at the Parc des Sports Aquilera.

Castres also earned themselves a bonus point with a 38-11 win at home that heaped further misery on basement-side Agen.

Further south La Rochelle stunned visitors Brive 26-17 to give themselves further breathing space at the bottom of the table.