The China Mail - Lyon edge Stade Francais in wild try-fest to stay top in France

Fijian back-rower Iosefo Masi and Italy wing Monty Ioane dotted down twice each and Irish fly-half Paddy Jackson converted all six tries as Lyon recovered from a 16-14 half-time deficit to preserve their perfect start to the season after three matches.

Tries from Ioane, Masi and scrum-half Baptiste Couillaud inside the first 10 minutes after the restart took the game away from the Parisian visitors at the Matmut stadium.

"It was a bizarre match, with lots of turnovers, not much normal possession," said Lyon's backs coach Alan-Basson Zondagh.

"I wasn't afraid at the end of the match, but I was annoyed. I know we can do better, win with a bonus point, score more tries."

Stade battled gamely and a late try from hooker Alvaro Garcia, converted by fly-half Louis Carbonel, gave them a losing bonus point.

Carbonel hardly deserved to be on the losing side after a personal haul of 22 points from one try, four conversions and three penalties.

"We should have won the match with the chances we had in the first half," moaned Stade's defence coach Rory Kockett, the South African-born former France scrum-half.

- Bordeaux-Begles run in 11 tries -

The tries were also falling out of the sky in Bordeaux where the European champions ran in 11 to crush newly-promoted Montauban 71-24.

Dashing France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored two tries, as did international team-mate Nicolas Depoortere, while fellow French stars Matthieu Jalibert and Damian Penaud also crossed the whitewash.

South African back JT Jackson scored one of Montauban's tries just minutes after making his entrance from the replacement's bench early in the second period.

But despite scoring three tries themselves, Montauban were outclassed and remain bottom after three straight defeats.

Wing Christian Ambadiang scored two tries as Castres ran in seven to dish out a first defeat of the season to Bayonne in another entertaining match at the Pierre-Fabre stadium.

Hosts Castres scored seven to Bayonne's two in a 48-17 thumping.

Clermont notched up their first win of the season as Georgian prop Giorgi Akhaladze scored two of their seven tries in a 50-27 thumping of Pau, who like Bayonne lost for the first time this season.

New Zealander fly-half Harry Plummer was the star of the show for Clermont, showing ingenuity and effectiveness behind a dominant pack as he finished the match with 15 points.

Pau kept in the game, in part thanks to 12 points from English fly-half Joe Simmonds, until they were blown away by two late tries.

First-half tries from wing Wilfried Hulleu, captain Jordan Joseph and Fiji international Vinaya Habosi sent Racing 92 on their way to a 28-15 success at Perpignan, who like Montauban are winless from three matches.

French champions Toulouse had the chance to move top in Saturday's late match away to Montpellier.

T.Wu--ThChM