Paris (France) (AFP)

Stade Toulousain restart: the defending champions have left the bottom of the Top 14 standings by winning in pain (24-23) against Pau on the 5th day, just like Castres, winner of Agen (30-27 ), while Bayonne won 14 against La Rochelle.

Deprived of their international parties at the World Cup, the men of Ugo Mola, 12th at kickoff, take off from the bottom of the standings with this difficult victory against the Palois, their second in five games.

Despite two tries scored in the first 20 minutes at the Ernest-Wallon stadium (Akhi 17th, Lebel 19th), Toulouse, tentatively tenths with 9 points, were scared and finally concede the Palois (3rd, 13 pts) bonus point defensive.

Also on the line, Castres beat Agen at the end of a prolific meeting (30-27), with three tries on each side, and largely owes his victory to his opener Julien Dumora.

Almost perfect against the posts, even in the face of difficult kicks, Dumora also scored the first test of Castres (11th) and contributed to the second, flattened by Caminati (31st). In the standings, Castres is eighth with 9 points, just ahead of Agen.

The Aviron Bayonnais also won against La Rochelle (23-22) despite a half-time outnumbered after the expulsion of his Samoan pillar Census Johnston, guilty of a plating in the air on the Rochelais Kerr-Barlow. The Basques temporarily climb to fourth place (13 pts).

Earlier, the promoted Brive was the ogre Toulon (39-17) thanks to his scorer Thomas Laranjeira and out of the relegation zone.

To complete the day, Racing 92, also deprived of many international and penultimate, receives at 20:45 the leader Lyon, undefeated in the league this season. Sunday, the Stade Français receives Clermont and Montpellier welcomes Bordeaux-Bègles.

© 2019 AFP