TOP 14: Pau stun Clermont despite Strettle hat trick

10:29 PM GMT

Pau overcame Clermont Auvergne 40-35 in a nine-try thriller, despite David Strettle scoring a hat trick for the league leaders.

Pau got the scoring under way inside three minutes when Watisoni Votu crossed the whitewash for the first of five tries for the home side. Even though Clermont were reduced to 14 men with Clermont Ric's sin-binning on 10 minutes, Strettle replied for Clermont on 17 minutes, but their joy was shortlived as Colin Slade burst through to score two minutses later. Clermont led when Strettle followed up Camille Lopez's penalty with a try on 27 minutes.

Lopez's conversion gave them a 14-17 lead. But Pau hit back just before the break through former All Blacks centre Conrad Smith for a 21-17 lead at half-time. A Tom Taylor penalty stretch their advantage after the restart but Sitaleki Timani brought Clermont back within two points. But Pau weren't going to surrender their lead with a Thomas Bianchin try and another Taylor penalty pushing their lead out to 32-22 with just under a half hour remaining.

Lopez replied with a penalty before Jale Vatubua scored a try for Pau going into the final quarter. Strettle's third try, converted by Lopez, threatened to set up a grandstand finish at 37-32. But in the final 10 minutes Camille Gerondeau saw yellow for Clermont. Taylor converted the penalty, with Morgan Parra nailing a penalty at the death to narrow the gap and secure a losing bonus-point for Clermont.

Castres defeated third from bottom Lyon 23-19 away from home. Castres led through a Geoffrey Palis penalty 12 minutes in, but despite losing Jody Jenneker and Antoine Tichit to the sin-bin in the first-half trailed just 12-10 at the interval.

Three Frederic Michalak penalties and one from Delon Armitage gave Lyon the half-time advantage over Castres who saw Anthony Jelonch cross for a try before the break.

After the restart Castres took control as Rory Kockott scored a try and Palis added two penalties to the conversion to push their lead out to 23-12. A Theo Belan converted try secured a losing bonus-point for Lyon with 10 minutes remaining.

In other action, Montpellier swept past Grenoble 51-37, Stade Francais thrashed Bayonne 51-5, and La Rochelle held Racing 92 to a 23-23 draw.

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TOP 14: Pau stun Clermont despite Strettle hat trick