T14 Round-up: Former Munster winger helps Oyonnax defeat Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle

Elsewhere Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 snatched a hard-earned victory from the jaws of what would have been their second defeat of the season.

La Rochelle's Irish coach Ronan O'Gara looks on prior to their French Top 14 rugby union match. (Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP) (Photo by VALENTINE CHAPUIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Munster winger Darren Sweetnam helped promoted ProD2 champions Oyonnax inflict a fourth Top 14 defeat in five matches on Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle.

Sweetnam, who started the French leg of his rugby career with a short-term contract at La Rochelle at the back end of the 2020-21 campaign before he switched to then second-tier side Oyonnax, raced in for the game’s first try in the 13th minute.

Argentine fly-half Domingo Miotti kicked the rest of Oyonnax’s points, as they held off La Rochelle’s second-half fightback to win 19-17.

O’Gara will be waiting impatiently for the return of his French internationals, who are still on holiday after the World Cup – particularly hooker Pierre Bourgarit, to bring more certainty to his side’s lineout.

Both Sacha Idoumi, on his first Top 14 start, and Quentin Lespiaucq struggled in conditions the French would describe as ‘Dantesque’, losing six of their own throws.

Reports in France suggest backrow Gregory Alldritt will not return until January, as he takes an extended break after a gruelling period. But Bourgarit, as well as Antoine Hastoy, Reda Wardi, Jonathan Danty, and Paul Boudehent, will be back earlier.

Things could easily have been worse for the visitors, who have never won at Stade Charles Mathon. But Thierry Piava scored with the clock six minutes into the red at the end of the second half, to rescue a losing bonus point.

Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 snatched a hard-earned victory from the jaws of what would have been their second defeat of the season, thanks to Tristan Tedder’s try in the dying seconds. Tedder, who joined from Perpignan in the summer, converted his own touchdown at the end of a battle of attrition at La Defense Arena to take the final score to 22-20.

The Laurent Labit-Karim Ghezal era at Stade Francais officially started this week. The former France coaches opened their account with a six-try bonus-point 39-16 win over Castres at Stade Jean Bouin.

France’s 20-year-old winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored the 77th-minute try that took Bordeaux out of reach of visiting Montpellier at the end of a tight match at Stade Chaban Delmas. International team-mate Maxime Lucu converted to seal a 26-13 win.

Alivereti Raka ran in two of Clermont’s seven tries – scoring at the end of each half – as they beat Bayonne 46-17 at Stade Marcel Michelin.

Franck Azema’s Perpignan broke their Top 14 duck at the fifth attempt with a 26-22 win over his former side Toulon at Stade Aime Giral. Thomasso Allan scored 19 points for the Catalans, while the visitors lost Dan Biggar to a back injury picked up as he stepped up to convert an early try from Charles Ollivon.

Pau, who spent their first-ever week in the Top 14’s number one spot, entertain defending champions Toulouse at Stade du Hameau on Sunday night. The visitors are feathering-in several World Cup stars, with Peato Mauvaka, Richie Arnold, Pita Ahki, Ange Capuozzo and Melvyn Jaminet starting, and Dorian Aldegheri on the bench.