French champions Perpignan got their title defence off to a winning start on Saturday with a 28-20 win over Bayonne while flying Fijian winger Napolioni Nalaga helped piled on the misery for Bourgoin.
Perpignan, who inflicted a third successive Top 14 final defeat on Clermont last season, saw debutant full-back Armand Battle score the team's only try.
Clermont saw off Bourgoin 37-28, running in four tries, two of which were claimed by Nalaga, the top try-scorer in the championship in 2008 and 2009.
Bourgoin, last season's European Challenge Cup runners-up who have been dogged by financial problems, were only three points behind at the interval before their weakened team wilted in the searing heat.
Bourgoin were forced to field a second-string side after 14 of their players had their licences suspended by the national league's financial watchdog who are concerned over the club's budget.
Among the players frozen out were new signings, Fijian Albert Vulivuli and Argentine Alberto Di Bernardo.
Former European champions Toulouse scraped past Montauban 17-16 thanks to a last minute try from Argentine lock forward Patricio Albacete.
But the win came at a cost with fly-half Frederic Michalak aggravating a thigh injury which Toulouse manager Guy Noves blamed on the enforced absence of a host of international players.
With David Skrela and Jean-Marc Doussain both missing, Michalak was pressed into action but was replaced after just 20 minutes.
"Frederic Michalak played when he wasn't sufficiently recovered," fumed Noves who was obliged to rest Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc, Florian Fritz, Thierry Dusautoir and Romain Millo-Chlusky under an agreement that all French internationals must rest for eight weeks in the close season.
Biarritz slumped to a 24-12 home defeat to Castres for whom former Toulon winger Marc Andreu scored both of his team's tries.
Racing-Metro, with a host of big name signings, including Sebastien Chabal and French international skipper Lionel Nallet, began life in the top flight with a 19-13 win over fellow promoted side Albi.
English winger Dan Scarborough scored Racing's lone try.
In the day's late match, Brive saw off Montpellier 30-9 to take the championship lead after the first round of games.
On Friday England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, playing for the first time in 10 months, kicked 17 points on his Toulon debut as his new club held Stade Francais to a 22-22 draw.
Injury-plagued Wilkinson confidently landed two monster kicks in the second half as his side eyed victory, leading 22-19 with three minutes left.
But he ended the evening sharing the limelight with Stade's South African scrum-half Noel Oelschig, who also kicked 17 points.
"I felt fine physically and it was important for me to play the entire 80 minutes," said the 30-year-old Wilkinson.
"I scored 17 points but it's more important that we haven't won. The atmosphere was great. At one stage, I took a tap penalty and I had to ask myself what had happened in the stadium, such was the noise.
"I hope there will be plenty of more moments like that."
Copyright 2009  AFP Global Edition
