Former Stormers lock Francois van der Merwe scored a try as Racing Métro beat Top 14 champions Toulon 17-10 in Paris on Saturday.

Van der Merwe's score helped to give Racing a 10-7 lead at the break, with Toulon's try coming from new Reds signing James O'Connor. Maxime Machenaud went over early in the second half for Racing and although Frédéric Michalak kept Toulon in touch with a penalty, they were not able to close the deficit.

In other notable results, Alofa Alofa scored two tries to give La Rochelle a stunning first win of the season, beating Toulouse 37-25. The promoted side had struggled with discipline and the set piece in the first two games of the campaign, but they turned it around in style with the former Waratahs wing scoring twice in the second half.

On Friday night, François Trinh-Duc held his nerve as Montpellier stunned Clermont 21-20 at the Stade Marcel Michelin. The French international scored 18 of his side's 21 points, including a last-minute penalty from 45m out when Clermont had been penalised in a scrum.

Round 3 results:

Clermont Auvergne  20 Montpellier 21
La Rochelle 37 Toulouse 25
Grenoble 37 Bordeaux-Begles 23
Castres 30 Bayonne 6
Lyon 24 Brive 6
Oyonnax 33 Stade Français 6
Racing Métro 17 Toulon 10

Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP Photo