Former Junior Springbok captain Jeremy Ward continued his superb season for Stade Francais as the nail-biting battle for the Top 14 took centre stage.

– Racing 92 relinquished their lead at the top of the table after suffering a 26-5 loss to relegation-battling Perpignan. Racing were without Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and tighthead prop Trevor Nyakane, who were rested, but did have Tristan Tedder at fullback. Bok lock Marvin Orie started for Perpignan, which moved four points above the bottom two relegation spots.

– Stade Francais took full advantage of their Parisian rivals’ slip-up by coming from behind to beat newly-promoted Oyonnax 23-19. Jeremy Ward scored a crucial try – his eighth of the season – in the 60^th minute as Stade went into first place on points difference, tied on log points with Toulouse and Bordeaux, with just four points separating first from fifth. Veteran scrumhalf Rory Kockott played off the bench for Stade.

– La Rochelle closed in on joining the chasing pack by defeating Montpellier 18-10. The defending European champions had Dillyn Leyds on the wing and closed the gap on fifth-placed Toulon to just two points. Jan Serfontein started for Montpellier, with Nico Janse van Rensburg and Cobus Reinach playing off the bench for the wooden spoonists.

– Lyon, with Thaakir Abrahams at fullback, suffered a 38-21 loss to Clermont. The defeat leaves Lyon two points above the relegation zone.

– Boosted by a sensational performance from Antoine Dupont, playing at fly-half, Toulouse powered to go level at the top of the standings by thrashing Bayonne 46-26. Former Springbok No 8 Uzair Cassiem started for Bayonne.

– Madosh Tambwe continued his purple patch by getting the ball rolling in Bordeaux’s thrilling 37-32 win against Toulon. Tambwe scored his sixth try of the season when he dotted down in the first minute of play. The result saw Bordeaux tie things up with Toulouse and Stade Francais on 41 points.