Toulon took top spot in the French Top 14 on Saturday with a 25-19 win over old rugby foes Clermont, the team they defeated in last season’s European Cup final.
Toulon had a point to prove, having lost 25-22 last weekend to promoted Oyonnax.
Australian back Matt Giteau was the star for Toulon in the inaugural match in front of 35,600 spectators at the new Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice.
He kicked six penalties and converted Maxime Mermoz’s 29th-minute try as Toulon went top ahead of Montpellier and Toulouse, although all three sides have 27 points.
Australian fly-half Brock James kicked four penalties for Clermont and converted Damien Chouly’s 23rd-minute try, but they paid for some ill discipline with both South African flanker Gerhard Vosloo and Loic Jacquet sin-binned in either half.
The win will give Bernard Laporte’s side confidence ahead of their European Cup opener against Cardiff in Nice in a week’s time.
“Everyone knows that the road to the title is a long one,” said Toulon forwards coach Jacques Delmas.
“It’s always easier to play when you are winning rather than losing and now we will work towards the European Cup next week.”
Clermont coach Vern Cotter admitted that James’s failure to land four relatively easy penalties was a crucial factor.
“There were points we missed there, that’s a fact,” said Cotter.
“We took risks and they were followed by us losing the ball.”
Four-time European champions Toulouse swept past previous Top 14 leaders Stade Francais 28-10 with winger Yoann Huget grabbing a hat-trick of tries.
Montpellier went second after a six-try, 45-20 win over Oyonnax.
But champions Castres were routed 34-0 by promoted Brive who ran in four tries through Sisaro Koyamaibole, Elia Radikedike, Andrew Ma’ilei and Said Hireche.
Rock-bottom Biarritz slumped to their eighth defeat in nine matches when they were defeated 16-12 by Perpignan on Friday.
Biarritz, the five-time French champions, remain bottom of the table, eight points from safety with their only consolation being a losing bonus point from the match.
