Toulouse (AFP)

Clermont took the lead of the Top 14 alone thanks to his fourth success in a row, in Brive (43-21), Saturday during the 7th day, marked by the first closed doors and the first successes of Bordeaux-Bègles and Castres since their cases of Covid-19.

ASM won for the 4th time in a row and for the first time outside of Marcel-Michelin, but above all it once again showed character by going for a week, as against Pau (50-29) previously, the offensive bonus (5 points) in the last minutes.

A bonus that was in sight at the hour of play (4 tries to 1) and that the Brivistes erased with two tries in the last quarter of an hour.

But thanks to his untenable scrum-half Sébastien Bézy, author of a double bringing his total to 5 tries in 3 matches, and also to the Brivists who continued to play after the siren without having much to gain, Clermont started again from Corrèze with a full bag.

Result, the Auvergnats, who have not lost since the trip to Bayonne in mid-September (21-19), are temporarily alone in the lead with 5 points ahead of their two co-leaders of the week, also traveling on Sunday : La Rochelle goes to Pau (5:00 p.m.) and Toulouse to the Stade Français (9:05 p.m.).

- Convalescence finished?

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If Clermont is doing very well, Bordeaux-Bègles and Castres are doing better.

At home for the first time in a month and a half, UBB has returned to success by rolling the red lantern Agen (71-5) after three consecutive losses away.

If the Girondins have followed a series of trips and defeats, it is also because they have had cases of Covid-19 within their workforce, which led to the postponement of their meeting at home against Clermont and disturbed their preparation.

The best team of last season, interrupted by the pandemic, is temporarily back to 10th place with two games late.

Castres, champion not so long ago (2018), also won for the first time since his massive contamination with the new coronavirus, which affected more than half of its workforce between mid-September and mid-October .

In Toulon the previous day, the CO had shown that he was on the right track by bowing to the length (19-6): he seized his first opportunity at home to return to green by narrowly beating Racing 92 (28-26).

Still 13th, the Tarnais approached Brive (12th).

Racing 92, deprived of a myriad of internationals, had the merit of getting the offensive bonus at the end of the match and does not have to be ashamed of this failure.

Unlike Agen, last with 7 losses in as many matches and who sank in this derby on the Garonne.

"We are really in the hard," reacted a captain Romain Briatte in distress.

The SUA has two matches to follow in Armandie - Lyon and Toulon - to save themselves from the announced sinking.

At the start of the day amputated from Bayonne-Toulon and Lyon-Montpellier, postponed for cases of Covid at Rowing and Lou, silence resonated in the stadiums, deprived of spectators for the first time due to the reconfinement.

"It's true that it's weird," said Clermont captain Arthur Iturria.

It will take some getting used to.

Results of the 7th day of the Top 14:

Saturday October 31

Brive - Clermont (bo) 21 - 43

Bordeaux-Bègles (bo) - Agen 71 - 5

Castres - Racing 92 (bd) 28 - 26

Sunday November 1

(5:00 p.m.) Pau - La Rochelle

(9:05 p.m.) Stade Français - Toulouse

Saturday November 21

(00h00) Bayonne - Toulon

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postponed

Lyon - Montpellier

© 2020 AFP