Biarritz make it perfect 4 from four

Biarritz made it four wins from four games this season in the Top 14 as they thrashed Montpellier 27-8 on Saturday, a far cry from their flirting with relegation last season. Toulon can rejoin them at the top of the league if they beat Bordeaux-Begles at home later on Saturday. Jean-Pascal Barraque opened the scoring in the 20th minute, slotting over a penalty after having missed two earlier opportunities and surprisingly having been all but inch perfect so far this season he was to miss two further opportunities later in the first-half. That allowed the visitors to not only stay in the game but even went in on level terms as France fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc dropped a goal four minutes from half-time. The unfortunate Barraque was replaced seven minutes into the second-half by Julien Peyrelongue, who quickly slotted the hosts into a 6-3 lead. They were to extend it in the 55th minute profiting immediately from the sin-binning of Montpellier's Fijian star Timoci Nagusa as the outstanding England 2003 winning back Iain Balshaw went over after being slipped the decisive pass by American flyer Takudzwa Ngwenya. Peyrelongue converted for 13-3 and Montpellier's task became mission impossible when they were further reduced as centre Thomas Combezou was also yellow-carded. Biarritz extended their lead when they ran in a second try by Benoit Guyot, which was also converted by Peyrelongue, and added a third in the 67th minute through a brilliant individual effort by 21-year-old scrum-half Yann Legourgues - Peyrelongue adding the two points. Combezou redeemed himself slightly when he touched down for a late consolation try for the visitors.