Toulouse hammered Stade Francais 31-13 in the Top 14 championship play-off to set up a final against Clermont.

Toulouse scored tries through winger Maxim Medard and centre Yannick Jauzion (2).

Jean-Baptiste Elissalde notched up eight points with the boot while Fijian centre Maleli Kunavore nailed a conversion and a penalty, and Florian Fritz added a late drop-goal.

Stade - who were unable to give Fabien Galthie or Christophe Dominici a fairytale ending to their time as coach and player respectively at the club - hit back with a converted Jerome Fillol try seven minutes from time, Argentina playmaker Juan Martin Hernandez having earlier been successful with two penalty attempts.

"The regular season is simply the first phase, then we start at zero again for the play-offs," said Toulouse stalwart Fabien Pelous.

"Now we have gone through we are approaching zero plus one and hopefully we will make up for the failure against Munster."

Pelous was referring to the 16-13 Heineken Cup final defeat which saw him sin-binned for 10 crucial minutes.

Medard, who won the race to latch on to Kunavore's intelligent kick through to score his try, said his team-mates were focused on putting European disappointment in the shadow of domestic success.

"We owe this victory to a team effort," he said. "The forwards were exceptional, providing us with great ball which we used well.

"My try was effectively a race and I won it with a little luck or if you so wish I gave my opponent a little nudge... still, we're now making up for the European Cup defeat.

"It's been along time since we won the domestic title so we are overdue. Mind you: not as overdue as Clermont."

Clermont have never won the title.

Toulouse will wait anxiously on news on Elissalde and replacement flanker France international Yannick Nyanga, as the former went off five minutes into the second half and the latter lasted just three minutes as a replacement before limping off.

In Saturday's game, Fijian winger Napolioni Nalaga - the Top 14's highest try scorer - scored both of Clermont's tries in a convincing 21-7 win over Perpignan.

Table-toppers Clermont - who have lost all nine finals they have contested including three against Toulouse - had finished 17 points ahead of fourth-placed Perpignan during the regular season and had the match virtually wrapped up at half-time when they were 16-0 ahead.

Just after the hour mark, Nicolas Laharrague touched down to get Perpignan on the scoreboard with South African World Cup winner Percy Montgomery finding the target with an easy conversion.

AFP