It’s already been a breathless start to the Top 14 campaign, and Round Eight was no exception with yet another brilliant offering across the Channel.
Table-topping Toulouse were once again the big winners, quite literally, but elsewhere Bayonne, Racing 92 and Vannes all secured vital wins. There were also some exceptional performances from the English contingent.
Here is the latest instalment of the Top 14 round-up.
Owen Farrell notches maiden Top 14 try
It’s been a fairly tough start to life in France for Owen Farrell, with his Racing 92 side struggling for consistency at the start of the season, but things might be looking up.
The fly-half finally opened his try-scoring account for the Parisians with a clever effort against Perpignan. Farrell reacted quickest to a loose ball to hack it down the pitch and slide under the sticks.
Owen Farrell lance le Racing pour le retour à La Défense avec un peu d’opportunisme 🍀 #R92USAP #Top14 #Rugby #R92 #Racing92 #top14rugby #R92vUSAP #USAP #Perpignan pic.twitter.com/bAG7TuGZHu
— Le Top14 Pas Officiel 2.0 (@Top14OffBis) October 26, 2024
His try went a long way to helping Racing secure a solid 30-23 win over the fellow strugglers, and this now takes Stuart Lancaster’s side up to eighth in the table.
WATCH: Owen Farrell opens Top 14 try account with clever score
Farrell wasn’t the only former Saracen who crossed the whitewash this weekend, with England prop Mako Vunipola also adding his name to the scoresheet for Vannes. The Breton’s have struggled since their promotion to the top-flight, but the loosehead’s score assisted them in a surprise 34-28 win over Castres – only their second win of the campaign.
Stuart Hogg inspires Montpellier to shock win over La Rochelle
Fellow British and Irish Lions man Stuart Hogg has been in the headlines a lot in recent weeks, but this time he’s in them for the right reasons, as he inspired struggling Montpellier to a shock 16-0 win over title challengers La Rochelle. The former Scotland captain notched an impressive haul of 11 points in the win, slotting three penalties and a conversion.
Rounding off the dogfight at the bottom, Stade Francais recorded a vital 36-6 win over Clermont Auvergne, with former Harlequins and England ace Joe Marchant playing a key role.
Toulouse thrash Toulon, while Bordeaux and Bayonne climb the ladder
The battle at the top is already looking like a tense affair, but once again defending champions Toulouse bared their teeth with an emphatic 57-5 win over Toulon.
‘Not a good look’ – Kyle Sinckler wrongly yellow carded after referee mistakes prop for ex-England team-mate
The reigning Top 14 and European champions ran in eight tries on the way to victory, including a superb hat-trick from Italian international Ange Capuozzo.
Elsewhere at the top, surprise package Bayonne continued their brilliant form of late as they recorded a convincing 49-38 win over Lyon, with former England star Manu Tuilagi once again heavily involved for his new employers. This win now takes them up to third in the table with five wins from their opening eight games.
Rounding off the action, Bordeaux bounced back from a tough defeat last weekend as they beat Pau 19-6.
Découvre le classement des plus beaux essais de la J8 de #TOP14 💥
5️⃣ L. Barré | @SFParisRugby
4️⃣ L. Bielle-Biarrey | @UBBrugby
3️⃣ N. Hulleu | @CastresRugby
2️⃣ H. Dayimani | @racing92
1️⃣ X. Mousques | @avironrugbypro
Qui vous a le plus fait vibrer ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/dkQGMxbElr
— TOP 14 Rugby (@top14rugby) October 28, 2024
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