PARIS: Fijian wingers Timoci Nagusa and Nemani Nadolo both muscled through for tries as Montpellier snapped a two-game losing streak with a 41-13 win over Pau in the Top 14 on Sunday.
South African flanker Jacques du Plessis produced a second half double and Paul Willemse also touched down while scrum-half Benoit Paillaugue added 14 points from the boot as Montpellier recorded only their second win in six league games.
Vern Cotter's side picked up an offensive bonus point which lifts them to eighth in the table, four points behind Stade Francais in the last of the play-off positions.
Pressure is now building on Pau coach Simon Mannix whose side have now lost six in a row and stay third from bottom.
Colin Slade's early penalty got the visitors rolling but Montpellier soon took charge even though they lost Mikheil Nariashvili for ten minutes after the Georgian prop deliberately dipped a knee into the back of a prone Steffon Armitage.
Two penalties from Paillaugue gave Montpellier the lead before Nagusa brushed off several feeble tackles to canter through for the opening try.
Another Slade penalty gave Pau a brief confidence boost with a 13-6 deficit but Montpellier were quick out of the blocks in the second half and soon built on their lead.
Nagusa again used his strength to break a tackle and then produced a perfect one-handed offload for his fellow Fijian Nadolo.
Further tries followed from naturalised French lock Paul Willemse and South African flanker Jacques du Plessis as Montpellier stretched their lead to 34-6.
Pau grabbed a consolation try through Laurent Bouchet but du Plessis added a final gloss for Montpellier with his second try in the final minute.
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