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Perpignan beat Stade Francais 25-21 in Lyon to set up a Top 14 play-off final against Clermont next week.

Perpignan outscored the Parisian club three tries to two, full-back Jerome Porical claiming 15 points for the Catalans, who have not won the French championship since 1955.

They will now play Clermont, 19-9 winners over Toulouse on Friday, in the final at the Stade de France on June 6. "We tried to mix it up a bit, to play it close-up and out wide," said Perpignan coach Jacques Brunel.

Stade's Australian coach Ewen McKenzie rued his side's inability to impose themselves on the game.

"We lost the match tactically," he said. "We failed to occupy space. We passed to two or three phases and scored two tries.

"But it's tough to organise the game if you can't find the spaces." Porical opened the scoring in the seventh minute after Pascal Pape fouled at a ruck in front of the posts.

Lionel Beauxis equalised the score five minutes later with a drop-goal but the Catalans turned the screw and Porical benefitted from an error by the linesman to score the game's first try.

Winger Julien Candelon sidestepped his way past the stricken Mark Gasnier but a stray foot into touch went unnoticed, allowing Porical to touch down under the posts for a five-pointer he also converted.

Beauxis and Porical then traded penalties to make it 13-6 to the Catalan club at half-time.

Perpignan opened the second-half just as they wanted, winger Maxime Mermoz grounding a delicate chip by South African Gavin Hume.

Stade Francais hit back within two minutes, however, Beauxis scooting in at the corner. Beauxis, playing at full-back, missed the conversion but redeemed that with a second penalty.

The lively Mermoz (pictured) then split the Stade defence and passed to David Marty who put Julien Candelon away for Perpignan's third try.

The Parisian club did not lie down, however, and replacement Sergio Parisse bulldozed his way over from short range after a smart Brian Liebenberg offload.

Beauxis was successful with the conversion to draw the Parisians to within four points with 10 minutes to play but the Catalans held firm.

In Friday's semi-final, Clermont gained revenge for last year's French Top 14 play-off final defeat with a 19-9 win over titleholders Toulouse in Bordeaux.

Clermont, who have never clinched the French crown despite nine final appearances, will be making their third consecutive appearance in the play-off final which is being staged at the Stade de France next Saturday.

Clermont, beaten 26-20 in the big one last year, were sent on their way to victory Friday by Australian Brock James, the Top 14's leading scorer.

The fly-half opened the scoring with a penalty in the second minute before crossing the line for the only try of the game in the 11th minute, which he successfully converted.

Clermont went into the break 13-9 up after Benoit Baby had added a further penalty, with Toulouse's points all coming from the boot of James' opposite number, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde.

In the second half both James and Baby added two further penalties to seal a great night and put them one game away from ending a century of heartache in the French first division.

"I don't think we played a great match but there was lots of intensity. When you do all that we did in this match the most probable outcome is a win," reflected Clermont hooker Mario Ledesma.

Club president Rene Fontes added: "It would be hard looking at the good performance of our team not to have a smile on your face. Tomorrow I'll watch the game (the second semi-final) but I don't have a preference (of which team to play in the final)."

"We came up against a team stronger than ourselves," said Elissalde.

"Clermont were better organised, more realistic and more solid in defence," he added.

For Toulouse' iconic lock Fabien Pelous it was a poignant night as this was the holder of the record number of caps for France's last ever competitive game.

The 35-year-old was given a rousing send-off by the 32,000 spectators and held aloft by his teammates.

Pelous, who has turned out 118 times for France, was replaced in the 49th minute by Romain Millo-Chluski.

He retires with two European Cups with Toulouse in 2003 and 2005 and three league titles in 1999, 2001 and 2008.

He played in the World Cup final for France in 1999 and twice won the Five Nations in 1997 and 1998 (France also winning the Grand Slam that year) and three Six Nations' titles in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Watch a round of both semi-finals at 23:30 on Sunday on British Eurosport 2.

AFP