The Albany Gazette - On-form Maqala fires Bayonne past Farrell-less Racing

Maqala's second-half effort moved the Basques to third place in the table and places him at the summit the scoring charts for the season.

Racing, without the rested ex-England captain Owen Farrell, suffered their fourth defeat of the campaign and languish in 10th.

Bayonne led 13-3 at the break as veteran Argentina hooker Facundo Bosch scored a try and fly-half Joris Segonds slotted a conversion and two penalties.

The hosts' only score of the first half was a Nolann Le Garrec penalty, with the scrum-half expected to be named in France's November Tests squad next week.

Maqala's contribution came after 45 minutes as he stretched to dot down before Argentina winger Mateo Carreras and Bosch's replacement Lucas Martin put the home side 32-3 up with a quarter of an hour to play.

The only negative for Maqala's outfit was their inability to hold onto the attacking bonus point.

Fly-half Dan Lancaster, the son of Racing's director of rugby Stuart, and scrum-half Clovis Le Bail's late tries denied Bayonne the chance to go just one point below second-placed champions Toulouse.

Bayonne's uncapped Tongan-born prop Tevita Tatafu came through the game unscathed before a possible inclusion in Fabien Galthie's squad for next month's fixtures.

The 24-year-old Maqala's good form is also good news for Fiji before they face Scotland, Wales, Spain and Spain in November.

Later in the French first division, former Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg starts at fly-half as Montpellier head to Toulon and struggling Stade Francais travel to Castres.

In the final game of the day, France captain Antoine Dupont starts a match for the first time this season as Toulouse travel to Pau.

In his first appearance since winning Olympic rugby sevens gold last weekend the scrum-half scored a nine-minute hat-trick.

On Sunday, league leaders Bordeaux-Begles take a much-changed side to La Rochelle.

(Y.Harris--TAG)