As the Top 14 edges ever closer to the climax of the season, the stakes at either end of the table continue to grow.  

Toulon moved into the top four with a comfortable win over Perpignan, joining Toulouse, La Rochelle and Stade Francais at the pinnacle of the table.  

Castres clinched a crucial victory against Montpellier to give their hopes of survival a huge boost, as fellow strugglers Pau also lodged an important win over the weekend to give them temporary breathing room. 

But for all the excitement, perhaps the most dramatic moment of the weekend came in Paris, as Racing secured a late winner to push them up in the table.  

Dakuwaqa double puts Stade back on track 

Peniasi Dakuwaqa scored two tries to help Stade Francais return to winning ways, as they inflicted more misery on Top 14 strugglers Brive with a 27-22 win at the Stade Amédée-Domenech. 

Initially, it looked as though an upset may be on the cards, as Brive crossed the try line twice with just over 20 minutes played. The alarm bells quickly began to ring, with Stade Francais seemingly staring down a fourth league loss in a row, but quickly the Parisians pulled themselves together and got back two of their own to draw level at the break.  

From then on, Stade took the initiative and, carried by the trusty boot of Joris Segonds, who landed two penalties, they did just enough to push ahead and take the win.  

It was far from vintage Stade, but the result keeps them third in the league and condemned Brive to their eighth straight loss in all competitions as they remain rooted to the bottom of the table. 

Castres survival hopes given a huge boost with a win against Montpellier 

Castres rediscovered their form of old to brush aside Montpellier 28-19, exacting revenge for their loss in last season’s Top 14 final. 

Castres’ stellar home form has been keeping them afloat this campaign, but on Saturday, they stepped up their performance away from home to collect a much-needed win in their ongoing hunt for survival.  

They opened proceedings in fine fashion, storming to an early lead with Josaia Raisuqe crossing over twice within the opening 23 minutes.  

Montpellier did hit back with quickfire tries from Gabriel Ngandebe and Vincent Rattez, evening up the score at the break, but Castres responded with two early second-half finishes, capped off by Gaetan Barlot and Leone Nakarawa. 

From then on, the visitors took control, squeezing their opponents for the remainder of the game as they walked away with a complete points haul, meaning they are now just two points shy of tenth-placed Clermont.  

The result was made even sweeter by the news that Toulon had beaten Perpignan 37-15, pushing the basque side closer to relegation. 

Gailleton's try-scoring streak leads Pau to a pivotal win

Émilien Gailleton continued his hot try-scoring streak as Pau clinched a crucial 23-18 win at home to Clermont, boosting their search for survival.  

The young centre crossed the whitewash to claim his 13th try of the season, meaning he is still proving to be the most profligate finisher in the league. 

In the end, another try from Beka Gorgadze and three penalties from Zack Henry was enough to secure a second consecutive victory for the men in green, following their win over Bayonne in the previous round. 

Crucially the result puts daylight between Pau and Perpignan, who are 13th, but there is still much to do before safety is confirmed.  

A pivotal few weeks loom ahead for Pau, as they are set to face fellow relegation rivals Castres and Brive in the coming weeks. Grab a win from one of those games and safety will be all but confirmed. 

Last minute drama as Racing steal it at the death 

Racing snatched a penalty try in the final play to secure a dramatic 31-28 win against playoff challengers Bordeaux Begles.  

Even though the Parisians were the more effective at scoring tries, Bordeaux held the lead late into the contest thanks to the boot of Maxime Lucu. The international scrum-half slotted seven penalties in total, and it looked as though his expert goal-kicking would be the difference between the two sides.  

However, that was until a Racing driving maul was judged to be pulled down illegally, just shy of the try-line, meaning the referee elected to award a penalty try, giving Racing the win with the clock already in the red.  

The result sees the Parisians move up to fifth in the table, sailing ahead of Bordeaux, who are now seventh.  

Toulouse beat Lyon in a Sunday night thriller

Toulouse maintained their advantage at the top of the table with an exciting 36-31 win over Lyon. 

In a game filled with tries, it was Lyon who scored the most, lodging four to Toulouse’s three.  

In the end, it was the ever-reliable kicking of Thomas Ramos who kept Toulouse in the driving seat, as he landed a total of five penalties to keep his impressive points tally ticking over. 

The loss sends Lyon out of the top four as they are now level on points with sixth-placed Racing. 

Meanwhile, La Rochelle consolidated their spot as the number one challenger to Toulouse with a comfortable 26-6 win over Bayonne, who are slowly edging out of the playoff picture with a third straight loss.