ITALY OUT-HALF PAOLO Garbisi reached 100 points for the season as Montpellier beat Perpignan 30-6 in the French Top 14 on Saturday.

Garbisi, 21, who started all of the Azzurri’s November internationals kicked 13 of his side’s final tally to keep them third in the table.

“We were patient and it opened up. The Catalans gave a lot in the first half,” Montpellier coach Philippe Saint-Andre told reporters.

“We’re still in the race. It’s our fifth straight win, you can’t forget that.”

Garbisi, the former Treviso stand-off, started in the No. 10 shirt a week after scoring the 79th-minute winning penalty in last Saturday’s 25-24 win over Castres with South Africa playmaker Handre Pollard on the bench.

The teams were level 6-6 at the break as Garbisi and France full-back Melvyn Jaminet traded penalty goals.

After the interval Australia hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa came off the bench for his Montpellier debut before the hosts put their foot on the gas against the promoted outfit.

Garbisi converted Les Bleus winger Vincent Rattez’s try after 46 minutes as well as centre Pierre Lucas’ effort with half an hour to go.

The outside-half reached the century mark, just the third player to do so in the league this season, after the hour mark with a penalty goal.

He then showed his ability without the ball as he stopped the Catalans’ replacement scrum-half Matteo Rodor from scoring with a superb last-ditch tackle on his own tryline.

With a quarter of an hour remaining Garbisi was replaced for Springbok Pollard, who according to the BBC and The Times is a target for Leicester Tigers with his deal up at the end of the campaign.

Montpellier claimed the bonus point with two minutes left as 19-year-old scrum-half Aubin Eymeri claimed his maiden senior try.

Elsewhere, 2016 champions Racing 92 lost a third straight game with a 25-3 defeat at Castres.

The Parisians’ lack of form comes a week before the start of the European Champions Cup, which has been a long-time target for the three-time losing finalists’ owner Jacky Lorenzetti.

“It’s frustrating. It’s a question of confidence I think,” Racing hooker Teddy Baubigny said before Friday’s trip to Northampton Saints.

“It’s not an easy period. Seasons are long and it’s not because you’re finding it hard in December that you can’t finish in the top six or as champion,” he added with his side four points away from the play-offs.

Clermont hooker Yohan Beheregaray scored a hat-trick in the 39-11 home hammering of Biarritz and Fiji winger Josua Tuisova was sent-off for an elbow charge in Lyon’s 41-0 victory over Brive.

Pau’s Georgia No. 8 Beka Gorgodze scored a last-minute try to help claim a 16-16 draw with Toulon in non-stop rain near the Pyrenees.

Later, leaders Toulouse head to second-place Bordeaux-Begles with just two points separating the outfits before the meeting at a sold-out 33,000-capacity Stade Chaban-Delmas.

On Sunday, Stade Francais host La Rochelle, who have been linked with France winger Teddy Thomas with his Racing contract ending in June, according to newspaper Sud-Ouest.

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