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Paris. Lionel Beauxis put on a majestic kicking performance in front of French coach Philippe Saint-Andre as Toulouse romped to a 45-25 win over Montpellier on Friday.

Beauxis, who won the last of his 15 caps in 2009, kicked 28 points, including three drop goals, as the defending champions stayed in pole position in the French Top 14 after a clinical dismantling of Montpellier in a repeat of last season’s final.

“Lionel Beauxis did what Lionel Beauxis does. When he is like that, playing so well, he allows the team to play with confidence,” Toulouse coach Yannick Bru said.

Toulouse, starting with just five players who began last weekend’s European Cup defeat by Harlequins, enjoyed a flying start with full-back Maxime Medard grabbing a fifth-minute try after a clever chip through by Beauxis who also converted.

The champions then lost South African hooker Gary Botha who suffered a worrying right leg injury and was stretchered off to be replaced by William Servat.

Argentine fly-half Martin Bustos Moyano reduced the arrears with a penalty but Beauxis, playing instead of former All Black Luke McAlister, added nine more quick points with two drop goals and a penalty for a 16-3 lead.

Wallabies scrum-half Luke Burgess added his team’s second try of the evening, stepping inside Francois Trinh-Duc.

Montpellier, who were down to 14 men at the time after Thibault Privat was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle on Daniel Human, watched Beauxis add the conversion for a 23-3 lead.

Beauxis and Bustos Moyano exchanged penalties to make the half-time score 26-6.

Beauxis succeeded with another drop goal early in the second half for a 29-6 lead before Montpellier got their first try of the night, 11 minutes into the second period, when South African replacement hooker Rassie Van Vuuren barreled over.

Servat was then yellow-carded, leaving Toulouse without a recognised hooker, but Beauxis kept finding the target with another two penalties for a 38-13 advantage before he was replaced by McAlister.

Van Vuuren scored his second try after 66 minutes, a score which required the intervention of the video referee, but Toulouse hit straight back with a try from No 8 Louis Picamoles, a former Montpellier player, converted by McAlister for a 45-18 lead.

Yoan Audrin grabbed a last-minute try for Montpellier which was converted by Bustos Moyano

Australian fly-half Brock James kicked all of Clermont’s points as the 2010 champions squeezed out a 9-6 local derby win at Brive which kept them in second place, three points behind Toulouse.

Stade Francais chalked up a fourth successive win with a 23-10 triumph over Biarritz who remain rooted to the foot of the table. Pascal Pape and Felipe Contepomi scored tries for Stade.

Jonny Wilkinson kicked 15 points as Toulon beat Lyon 20-15, a victory which kept his team in third place, above Castres who were held 16-16 at Bayonne.

Toulon later announced that they had reached a verbal agreement on a three-year deal with former Toulouse fly-half Frederic Michalak to leave South Africa’s Coastal Sharks in the summer.

Agence France-Presse