PARIS: A controversial penalty try helped Brive upset French Top 14 champions Stade Francais 22-13 on Saturday.
Fly-half Jules Plisson was sent to the sin bin after he was judged to have prevented Fiji wing Benedito Masilevu from scoring a try with a high tackle.
Television replays showed Plisson, at full stretch, had cupped Masilevu's shoulder with one hand and dragged him down, but after reviewing the footage, referee Cedric Marchat decided it was not only high but had denied Masilevu a certain try and he ran under the posts to give the decision.
Gaetan Germain converted the try and, added to five earlier penalties, Brive led 22-6 with just over half an hour to play.
But Stade's Argentine coach refused to blame that on the defeat.
"The players fought to the end, without having the ball and with problems in the scrum and line-outs," he said, complaining about the number of players away on World Cup duty.
"We'll have to recover and keep building with the players who are still here."
The Parisians had already finished the first half 12-3 and a man down as prop Baptiste De Clerq was shown a yellow card just before the break.
Once Plisson, who scored their two penalties, was also sin-binned, Stade Francais were briefly left playing with 13 men.
Once back to full stretch, the visitors hammered away at the 1997 European champions' tryline but Brive held firm until a late interception try from Fijian Avenisi Vasuinubu, converted by Plisson, gave the score a slightly flattering look for Stade Francais.
Earlier, Racing-Metro stumbled over the line to maintain their winning start to the season with a disjointed 20-19 win over La Rochelle.
The big-spending Parisians were a shadow of the side that won so impressively 27-22 at European champions Toulon last weekend and only a missed drop-goal after the final buzzer from La Rochelle's Jean-Pascal Barraque saved the capital outfit.
A week ago, La Rochelle were humiliated 44-6 at home to Clermont, who are top of the league after securing a try-bonus in each of their opening two matches, including Friday night's 25-6 win over Grenoble.
Record four-time European champions Toulouse have also started with two straight wins as they triumphed 20-9 at newly-promoted Agen earlier on Saturday.
Racing seemed in control early in the second half following tries from Chris Masoe and Benjamin Dambielle as they led 20-10, but indiscipline cost them as Australian fly-half Zack Holmes kicked three penalties to bring the visitors, for whom Gabriel Lacroix had earlier scored a try, to within one point.
With Racing hanging on, Barraque tried a drop goal but it went wide and the hosts could breathe a sigh of relief.
"We weren't able to bring rhythm to the game or play our systems with structure against a team that had been pumping themselves up all week and who came here to restore some pride," said Racing's backs coach Laurent Labit.
- Flynn rescue -
Earlier, Toulouse maintained their strong start despite trailing 9-7 early in the second half.
Two tries from former All Black hooker Corey Flynn helped rescue Toulouse, though, as did a pair of late penalties from compatriot Luke McAlister.
"From the point of view of results and points, things went very well," said Toulouse manager Ugo Mola.
Oyonnax got off the mark in emphatic fashion with a 37-19 bonus-point win at home to Bordeaux-Begles.
South African hooker Jody Jenneker scored two tries while Irish centre Eamon Sheridan and replacement lock Mickael De Marco also scored.
Grenoble's only try came from former Australia sevens international wing Blair Connor.
Montpellier outscored their hosts by two tries to one but still went down 26-16 at newly-promoted Pau, for whom scrum-half Samuel Marques kicked seven penalties.
But after the match, Montpellier's Fijian wing Timoci Nagusa claimed he was called a "monkey" by a Pau fan.
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