Dulin returns to La Rochelle starting line-up, Jailbert leads Bordeaux as they defeat Castres

Toulon’s top-two challenge is faltering. They slipped to a third defeat on the bounce, a second-half comeback not enough to overturn a 20-point first half deficit as they lost 25-21 at Pau.

TOP 14 WRAP: France international fullback Brice Dulin returns after a month out as Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle look to record their fourth win in a row and ramp up a play-off challenge that looked increasingly unlikely as their 105-day winless run dragged on. Pic: LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

France international fullback Brice Dulin returns after a month out as Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle look to record their fourth win in a row and ramp up a play-off challenge that looked increasingly unlikely as their 105-day winless run dragged on.

Dulin, whose five-year stint at Stade Marcel Deflandre is entering its final weeks as he weighs up retirement or a possible move to relegated Nationale side Nice, starts at fullback against almost equally unlikely top-six rivals Montpellier on Sunday night.