Kockott keeps Castres Top 14 winning run going

South African Rory Kockott kicked seven penalties to give Castres their seventh successive Top 14 victory on Saturday as they beat last season's beaten finalists Montpellier 21-16. Castres -- who have failed to score a try in their last four matches -- rejoin Clermont atop the standings, with the 2010 champions having annihilated 2009 titlewinners Perpignan 39-3 on Friday, inflicting the losers third successive defeat. Several of the clubs paid homage to their national squad ahead of Sunday's World Cup final, with Agen -- the home club of the late Albert Ferrasse, a former French federation chief and prime mover in establishing the World Cup -- unveiling a massive flag and getting the fans to shout their support for Les Bleus. Kockott took full advantage of Montpellier's ill-discipline as the hosts let slip an early advantage when Georgian backrow forward Mamuka Gorogodze scored a try in the second minute. However, error after error by the hosts allowed Kockott to keep the visitors points tally ticking over but Montpellier's more enterprising play at least saw them take a defensive bonus point from the match. Ailing giants Biarritz failed to get off the bottom as they were held 15-15 at home by second from bottom Lyon OU, the Top 14 newboys leading for a large part of the clash before a try by Biarritz's Argentinian World Cup returnee Manuel Carizza in the 61st minute brought them level. It leaves two-time European Cup finalists and five time French champions Biarritz with just one win and two draws from their eight matches ahead of the return of French stars Imanol Harinordoquy, Dimitri Yachvili, Fabien Barcella and Damien Traille. Agen -- who flirted with relegation last season before assuring their place in the elite in the penultimate match -- got off to a storming start against Stade Francais on their way to an impressive 37-13 victory which sees them enter the unlikely environs of the top six. The hosts touched down for the first of their two tries in the first-half with just three minutes played through their captain, South African flanker Adri Badenhorst. His compatriot Conrad Barnard converted to give them the ideal start. Fijian wing Saimoni Vaka added a second in the 26th minute, a flowing backs move ending up with the 24-year-old flier coming in off his wing and cutting a swathe through the visiting defence to touch down. Agen were sitting pretty at 23-6 at half-time but then saw two of their key players yellow-carded in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Hooker Jalil Narjissi was sin-binned along with Stade's prop Stanley Wright for a punch-up. However, it was the sin-binning of skipper Badenhorst a few minutes later that really hit the hosts hard as soon afterwards Stade scored their first try, their Australian former Munster back Paul Warwick touching down under the posts before Julien Dupuy converted to make it 23-13. However, Agen reacted brilliantly to these setbacks and halted the Parisian charge in its tracks with a third try, as they won the ball back from Warwick inside their own 22. Ivory Coast fullback Silvere Tian cleared with a kick out to the wing where Vaka picked it up and ran 60 metres before offloading to scrum-half Maxime Machenaud who touched down -- Barnard converted for 30-13. Victory was completed with a penalty try and another conversion by Barnard to give Agen a memorable win.