Racing-Metro crushed Perpignan 47-23 on Saturday to record their  second victory in two games and provisionally assume top spot in the nascent French Top 14 standings.

A third-minute Jonathan Wisniewski penalty put hosts Racing in front but three successful kicks from Jerome Porical enabled Perpignan to open up a six-point lead.

   However, another Wisniewski penalty cut Perpignan’s advantage before a pair of tries from centre Henry Chavancy, both converted by Wisniewski, allowed Racing to reach the half-time interval with a 23-9 lead.

   Wisniewski crossed for a try early in the second half, which he converted, and a further score by Virimi Vakatawa put Racing 28 points clear.

   Perpignan reduced the arrears through tries from Rudi Coetzee and Gavin Hume but Racing replacement Thomas Bianchin went over with five minutes remaining to seal the win and secure the bonus point.

   “I salute the desire of this young team,” said Racing manager Pierre Berbizier. “It’s good for them that they went after the bonus point.

   “Perpignan are always a bit scary. They showed us at the end of the match that we couldn’t afford to let up.”   

Clermont are a point shy of Racing in second place thanks to an unexpected 17-0 victory at Toulon.

   Two Brock James penalties put the visitors 6-0 to the good before full-back Jean-Marcel Buttin scored the game’s only try shortly before the break.

   In the absence of any response from Toulon, James put the game beyond the hosts with two further penalties in the second half.

   “I’m pleased with the victory and proud of the spirit shown by my players,” said Clermont coach Vern Cotter.

   “I want to congratulate them for the collective desire they showed to get this result.”   

Toulon are seeking a new coach after it was confirmed Philippe Saint-Andre will succeed Marc Lievremont as France coach after the World Cup, and club president Mourad Boudjellal suggested it was preying on the players’ minds.

   “Yesterday (Friday), the players came to see me to see where I was in terms of finding a new coach,” said Boudjellal.

   “I felt that the squad was unsettled and you saw that on the pitch. The damage is done.

   “Maybe Philippe Saint-Andre’s words aren’t working any more and I need to speed things up to replace him.”   

Another surprise result saw Castres respond to their thrashing by Perpignan last weekend with a 35-10 win over Stade Francais.

   A yellow card for Stade lock Gerhard Mostert inside the first minute gave Castres a numerical advantage that they exploited through two penalties from Romain Teulet.

   Converted tries from wingers Mathieu Nicolas and Marc Andreu saw  Castres extend their advantage, with Teulet matching Paul Warwick’s  penalty for Stade and thereby giving Castres a 20-point half-time lead.

   Further tries from Andreu and Chris Masoe secured a bonus point for the hosts, with Alexander Rokobaro claiming a consolation try for the side from the capital.

   Last season’s runners-up Montpellier remain without a point after two games, after sinking to a disappointing 28-12 loss at home to Brive that owed much to the absence of 11 of their internationals due to the impending World Cup.

   Agen, meanwhile, snatched a 9-9 draw at Biarritz thanks to a penalty from Valentin Courrent with seven minutes remaining.

   Bordeaux Begles meet Bayonne in Saturday’s late game, with defending champions Toulouse travelling to promoted Lyon on Sunday.