The sixth round of the French Top 14 saw the scrumhalves steal the headlines, as Cobus Reinach returned for Montpellier, while Antoine Dupont scored a quickfire hat trick.
– Racing 92 have started to find some momentum after cruising past Toulon in a 22-6 win. The Parisians were without Hacjivah Dayimani after the loose forward was replaced at half time in their win over Vannes in the previous round, but still managed to get back-to-back victories. Toulon had South African-born former England lock David Ribbans on the bench.
– Cobus Reinach made a welcomed first start of the season to help Montpellier recover from a stuttering start to beat newly-promoted Vannes 26-24. The scrumhalf was joined by fellow Springbok Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg and former Bulls wing Madosh Tambwe in the starting lineup. Tambwe was yellow carded in the first half for a cynical infringement near his own tryline.
– League leaders Bordeaux continue to set the pace after putting on a show in a 10-try 66-12 demolition of Perpignan. Former Sharks and Lions prop Carlu Sadie started for Bordeaux, who were without Rohan Janse van Rensburg. Perpignan, who were reduced to 14 men early in the second half, had Bok lock Marvin Orie on the bench.
– Bayonne grabbed one of the surprise results of round six by beating former European champions La Rochelle 37-7. Ex-Bok loose forward Uzair Cassiem started for Bayonne, while La Rochelle, who suffered just their second loss of the season, had Dillyn Leyds on the wing.
– Antoine Dupont made a breathtaking return to Top 14 duty on Saturday by scoring a quickfire hat-trick of tries in Toulouse’s 48-14 win over Clermont. Dupont, who returned from a break after winning an Olympic Games gold medal, came off the bench in the 45th minute and scored his third try of the match in the 59th minute. The result sees Toulouse bounce back from two losses in a row to climb back up to second place on the log.
– Lyon kept up the pace with the playoff hunters with a bonus-point 35-3 win against struggling Stade Francais. Arno Botha started for Lyon, who are in fourth place after claiming their fourth win of the season. Stade Francais had JJ van der Mescht and Jeremy Ward in their lineup, falling into the relegation zone after a fourth loss of the campaign.
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