Stade Francais' Sekou Macalou (centre) catches a lineout in Pau's win (Alain JOCARD)
French back Sekou Macalou scored twice as Stade Francais returned to the top of the French Top 14 with a 25-12 win over Pau on Saturday.
The Parisians had dropped to second place earlier in the day after Toulouse beat Castres 33-6, but Stade Francais is back at the top thanks to its head-to-head record with the record 22-time champions.
Macalou, who was left out of Les Bleus' Six Nations squad due to his form at the start of the season, crossed either side of half-time at the rain-soaked Stade Jean-Bouin.
Surprise team Pau are in the sixth and final play-off spot after sending a second team to the capital without former New Zealander Sam Whitelock.
Toulouse's win was good news for under-fire France head coach Fabien Galthie.
Locks Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou remained uninjured before joining Galthie's squad on Sunday after missing the start of the Six Nations through injury.
“I felt good,” Flament told Canal.
“I really enjoyed it, it had been a while since I had been out on the field. It was good to be back,” he added, who has had to take a break since the beginning of December.
Elsewhere, Montpellier edged past bottom side Oyonnax with a 39-35 win against the team near the Swiss border, 10 points ahead.
Former France U20 flanker Lenni Nouchi scored a hat-trick for the visitors in 16 minutes.
Later on Saturday, Siya Kolisi's struggling Racing 92 travel to Bordeaux-Begles looking to avoid a fifth consecutive league defeat for the first time since 2012.
Clermont travel to La Rochelle on Sunday and have appointed Alivereti Raka as captain after the Fiji-born French winger was lambasted on social media this week.
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