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Top 14: Pau overturn Montpellier, Clermont and Toulon stumble, while Stade Français survive scare

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Stade Français began the 2026-27 Top 14 season with a 28-26 win over Perpignan after nearly surrendering control of the match.
  • Pau recorded the only away victory of the opening evening, beating reigning French runners-up Montpellier 27-19.
  • Clermont, Toulon and promoted Vannes lost, with Clermont securing a late defensive bonus point against Lyon.

The Top 14 returned with five matches and plenty of early drama, including a Pau victory at Montpellier and narrow defeats for Toulon and Stade Français’ opponents.

Stade Français survived a tense opening against Perpignan, winning 28-26 after appearing to have the match under control. The Paris side secured the result, but not without several scares in its first outing of the new season.

Lyon also made a strong start before easing off against Clermont, winning 40-36. Clermont’s late response came too late to change the result, although the Auvergne club secured a defensive bonus point.

Pau produced the evening’s standout result by winning 27-19 at Montpellier, last season’s French runners-up. It was the only away win in the first five matches. Toulon then fell 27-26 at Bayonne, while promoted Vannes struggled on its return to the elite and lost 29-20 at Castres despite a late reaction. Bordeaux-Bègles against Racing 92 and La Rochelle against Toulouse were scheduled to complete the opening round.

About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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