La Rochelle relinquished top spot after being held to a 38-38 draw by bottom-feeders Oyonnax, while Agen, Brive, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Pau and Racing 92 won in the Top 14.
Shock results were the order of the day on Saturday, when – with the exception of Montpellier beating Stade Français – all the top teams failed to win against their lower-ranked opponents.
Fullback Bjorn Basson scored the first try for Oyonnax, who held a surprising 18-17 lead at the break. But as expected, the high-flying La Rochelle fought back in the second half. The visitors took eventually hit the front and were 38-28 to the good with eight minutes remaining.
Oyonnax didn’t give up. A converted try by Maxime Veau got the hosts to within three points before flyhalf Ben Botica stepped up and slotted a penalty to tie the scores with the last kick of the game.
Elsewhere, Agen – second last on the log – hammered third-placed Castres 30-3 to improve their chances of escaping relegation. Brive also completed a shock 13-12 victory over Toulon thanks to a last-gasp converted try.
Bordeaux surprisingly beat Lyon 19-10 to draw level on 37 log points with their victims, and Montpellier defeated Stade Français 28-16 to overtake La Rochelle at the top of the standings.
On Sunday, Pau edged Toulouse 11-10, while Racing 92 ran in eight tries as they demolished Clermont 58-6.
Round 15 results:
Oyonnax 38 La Rochelle 38
Agen 30 Castres 3
Brive 13 Toulon 12
Bordeaux 19 Lyon 10
Montpellier 28 Stade Français 16
Pau 11 Toulouse 10
Racing 58 Clermont 6
Photo: Jeff Pachoud/Getty Images
