Paris (AFP) - La Rochelle's South African winger Dillyn Leyds scored as they beat Clermont 26-13 in the French Top 14 on Saturday before next weekend's Champions Cup semi-final with Exeter.
Champions Cup holders La Rochelle welcome the English side to a sold-out Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux next Sunday.
Leyds claimed a 78th-minute bonus point with his try as his club moved within a point of Top 14 leaders Toulouse, who head to third-placed Stade Francais later in the day.
"It would be a lie to say that no-one is thinking about the semi-final, but today we needed points in the Top 14," La Rochelle full-back Brice Dulin told reporters.
"There were moments when they made things difficult for us so it's the perfect preparation for next week," he added with three games of the regular season to play.
The home side led 19-0 at the break on the sun-kissed Atlantic coast after Argentina prop Joel Sclavi, flanker Paul Boudehent and Leyds' fellow winger Teddy Thomas crossed.
The response from two-time French champions Clermont came 10 minutes after the break as young scrum-half Baptiste Jauneau found a way over.
Fly-half Anthony Belleau and his replacement Jules Plisson took the score to 19-13 after an hour.
Leyds scored his sixth try of the season late on as Ronan O'Gara's team stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.
Bottom side Brive kept their survival hopes alive edging 12th-placed Pau 22-17 thanks to Pumas fly-half Nicolas Sanchez's 17 points from the boot.
Perpignan, in 13th spot, moved three points behind Pau, beating Racing92 30-21 as both sides finished with 14 men as the Catalans' Genesis Pelepele Lemalu and the visitors' Anton Bresler were shown first half red cards.
Bayonne, in eighth, are still in the hunt for the play-offs as ex-France fly-half Camille Lopez slotted his seventh drop goal of the season with four minutes left in the 33-30 victory over champions Montpellier.
Later, Toulouse prepare for the other Champions Cup semi, against Leinster, with a trip to Paris in a meeting of French rugby's two most decorated sides.
On Sunday, Lyon visit Bordeaux-Begles in the fight for the play-offs
