Toulon claimed an emphatic 39-11 victory against Lyon, while there were also French Top 14 wins for La Rochelle, Castres, Brive, Pau, Clermont and Stade Français.
With star No 8 Duane Vermeulen back leading the team, Toulon ended a run of three defeats with a one-sided triumph against one of the form teams in the competition at the Stade Felix Mayol.
The hosts led 17-6 at the break, and a surging second-half performance saw them pull away on the scoreboard. Bok JP Pietersen replaced inside centre Malakai Fekitoa in the second half and finished off the scoring by crossing for Toulon’s fifth try of the game.
In other matches, centre Paul Jordaan scored a crucial try as La Rochelle beat Montpellier 26-14 to overtake them at the top of the log, hooker Jody Jenneker scored one of six tries as Castres defeated hosts Toulouse 41-31 to clinch their fifth win in a row, Brive edged Oyonnax 33-30, Pau stunned Bordeaux 27-17, Clermont held off Agen to claim a 35-26 win and in the final game of the round Stade Français registered a stunning 27-17 victory against fierce city rivals Racing in the Paris derby.
Round 12 results:
Toulon 39 Lyon 11
La Rochelle 26 Montpellier 14
Toulouse 31 Castres 41
Brive 33 Oyonnax 31
Pau 27 Bordeaux 17
Clermont 35 Agen 26
Stade Français 27 Racing 17
Photo: Franck Pennant/Getty Images
