La Rochelle stalk Clermont after big win
La Rochelle hammered struggling Grenoble 40-3 on Sunday to join pace-setters Clermont at the summit of the French Top 14.
The one-sided victory for Patrice Collazo's rampant men propelled La Rochelle up to 46 points in the standings after 15 games, level with Clermont, losers 26-20 to Toulouse on Saturday.
La Rochelle, who will be eyeing top spot when they host Castres next Saturday, romped home in front of a crowd of 15,000 with flying winger Gabriel Lacroix -- the championship's top-scorer -- among the try-scorers on a chilly afternoon.
Grenoble remain deep in trouble in 13th and one spot off the bottom rung occupied by Bayonne.
Third are Montpellier, who went down 32-27 to southern rivals Pau on Saturday.