Former Wallabies star Matt Giteau has gone on a point-scoring frenzy for Toulon to help push the European champions up to second in the French Top 14.
Giteau piled up 27 points from two tries, seven conversions and a penalty in Toulon’s 62-12 bonus-victory over newly-promoted Brive, who had two players sin-binned on Wednesday.
South African flanker Danie Rossouw and France internationals Mathieu Bastareaud, Maxime Mermoz, Sebastien Tillous-Borde and Alexis Pallison all crossed, as well as New Zealand’s Rudi Wulf as the hosts’ backs ran riot at the Stade Mayol.
Toulon are a point behind Clermont, who resumed their customary position at the French Top 14 summit with a crushing 55-0 victory over a weakened and
outclassed Bayonne.
In a rare mid-week fixture program that means most teams will play three matches in just eight days, several sides, including Bayonne, put out virtual second-string formations.
And it proved a chastening experience at the Stade Marcel Michelin where
Clermont had wrapped up a bonus point inside the first 24 minutes.
By then South African flanker Gerhard Vosloo, New Zealand winger Sitiveni
Sivivatu and fellow Fiji-born flyer Noa Nakaitaci had gone over to push the
hosts into a 24-0 lead.
France international Nakaitaci added a second score before the break while
Australian five-eighth Brock James was exemplary from the tee, kicking 14 points.