Darren Sweetnam makes first Top 14 start in La Rochelle loss to Montpellier

Former Munster full-back Sweetnam had been named at 15 as Ronan O'Gara and Jono Gibbes rested many of their Champions Cup semi-final heroes for the first Top 14 outing after the win over Leinster last weekend

Darren Sweetnam. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

Darren Sweetnam's first start for a much-changed La Rochelle ended on the wrong end of a 32-22 Top 14 defeat at Montpellier.

Fly-half Jules Plisson had kicked the Champions Cup finalists back into the game after the hosts had scored two early tries - but Montpellier, revitalised by their own run to the Challenge Cup final, ran in three scores in a dominant second period before the Rochelais' forwards bundled over a late consolation.

Former Munster full-back Sweetnam, who joined the Top 14 high-flyers and Champions Cup finalists on a short-term contract as cover for the injured Jeremy Sinzelle at the end of March, had been named at 15 as Ronan O'Gara and Jono Gibbes rested many of their Champions Cup semi-final heroes for the first Top 14 outing after the win over Leinster last weekend.

Both European finalists play again on Tuesday as they catch up on games postponed by the Covid-19 crisis in France.

Crucially, the result gave Montpellier vital breathing space in their fight for Top 14 survival. They moved away from the relegation play-off spot - as did Pau, who had occupied that position before they picked up up a welcome try-scoring bonus in a 47-7 win at already relegated Agen - with former Munster prop Dave Ryan in the starting line-up.

Those results dragged Brive back into the relegation battle, as they lost an entertaining affair against Stade Francais 28-31. The defensive bonus point leaves them level on points with Montpellier, while Stade keep their outside hopes of a play-off intact.

Bayonne dropped into the dreaded 13th position after losing 40-22 at home to Bordeaux.

Earlier, Donnacha Ryan had come off the bench for the final quarter of Racing 92's 45-19 bonus-point win over Clermont.

The match was already over as a contest by the time the former Ireland international, who has been linked with a switch to ambitious Breton side Vannes at the end of the season, replaced Boris Palu - after Teddy Thomas had made two tries for Kurtley Beale and scored one of his own in the opening 20 minutes of the game. But there was a little concern as newly named British and Irish Lion Finn Russell left the pitch after 70 minutes for an HIA.

The victory ended a four-match losing streak for the Ile-de-France side, who moved above their opponents into third place, with three matches of the regular season to play.

Castres - who were 13th in the league at the start of 2021 - moved provisionally into fifth on Friday night as they beat play-off rivals Lyon 37-29 at Stade Pierre Fabre.

Josh Brennan, son of former Ireland international Trevor, made his first Top 14 appearance off the bench on the hour as a young, inexperienced, and indisciplined Toulouse lost 44-10 at Toulon in the final game of the weekend.