ProD2, r25: Agen break clear at the top after Pau beat Oyonnax; Narbonne slip at Tarbes

28 March 2010

Long-time leaders SU Agen took another step towards Top 14 after a profitable weekend for the would-be champions. The visit of basement club Lannemezan proffered up a regulation five points as they eased to a 43-3 win on Saturday, while nearest rivals Oyonnax subsequently went down 19-6 at Pau on Sunday afternoon.

The two results combined to put Agen five points clear with just five games to go, of which three of those are at home.

Their dismantling of Lannemezan was predictable enough with the Agen collecting three unanswered tries in either half, with South African fly-half Conrad Barnard adding four conversions and a penalty for good measure.

Tongan back-rower Ueleni Fono began the rout with the opening try after 10 minutes, while Georgian prop Anton Peikrishvili and debutant Mathieu Lamoulie both also went over before the break. Lisiate Fa'aoso - another Tongan - and Cyril Chavet followed suit after the break, with the hosts also adding a penalty try as their dominance was complete.

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Oyonnax have been chasing Agen all the way this season but lost vital ground in the race for  automatic promotion as they lost 17-6 away to Pau. The defeat was their second in four games but, like Agen, they now have three of their remaining five matches at home.

The home team stormed 11-0 ahead after just 12 minutes thanks to a brace of early Clément Darbo penalties and a try from flanker Romain Froment. Oyonnax didn't help their cause by having Christophe Marth yellow-carded after just four minutes, but they finally got on the board when Jean-Maurice Oulouma landed a 17th-minute penalty. Pau's Andre Hough responded with a drop-goal shortly after, while Sylver Tian - rumoured to be interesting Montpellier - kicked another three points for visitors to leave it 14-6 at the break.

Hough went on to add a 73rd minute penalty - the only score of the second half - as Pau did enough to earn the win that keeps up their own play-off hopes, while Oyonnax may regret not managing to secure at least a defensive bonus.

That allowed third-placed La Rochelle to close the gap to three points after they won 17-13 away to Dax.

Four Benjamin Dambielle penalties and a first-half try from Tamato Leopolu was enough to secure La Rochelle's ninth win in 10 matches, although Federico Martin Aramburu's 69th-minute converted try raised home hopes of a comeback victory.

Lyon OU remain in fourth place after winning 26-6 at home to Mont-de-Marsan, but their attacking bonus did manage to reduce the gap to La Rochelle back down to five points - and with a game in hand.

The hosts were leading 9-0 thanks to a trio of Romain Loursac penalties before a game-breaking two-minute spell either side of half time. First winger Franck Romanet went over just before the interval - with Loursac converting - and then scrum-half Brice Salobert touched down with a minute of the restart.

That left Mont-de-Marsan 21-0 down, although they did manage to improve that slightly following two Yannick Lafforgue penalties. But Lyon weren't to be denied and wrapped up the extra point after Romanet grabbed his second try of the afternoon - on 65 minutes - to maintain the home team's recent momentum with their fifth win in seven games.

Grenoble were the only upward movers within the play-off zone, climbing from sixth to fifth on the back of their 19-0 home win against FC Auch Gers. Four Danie de Beer penalties set them on their way in the first half, with Roland Bernard adding a 65th-minute try after the break, which De Beer duly converted as well.

That lifted them above RC Narbonne, who lost 23-11 away to Tarbes on Saturday. The home side followed up their 22-16 victory against Lyon thanks to a dominant opening 30 minutes.

Richard Apanui set them on their way with two successful penalties before Mikael Etcheverria crossed for the game's opening try. Apanui was on target with the conversion and another penalty to make it 16-3, while Delkeith Pottas slotted a kick in return just before the interval.

Martin Worthington's 56th-minute try put the result beyond doubt as Tarbes pulled further ahead, leaving Sionasa Vunisa's late response as nothing more than consolation - in this case by leaving the 22-year-old Fijian as ProD2's leading try-scorer this season with 10.

Narbonne are now just one point ahead of Union Bordeaux-Bègles (and Pau) after the latter won 22-20 away to Colomiers.

Malaki Bakaniceva's 16th-minute try for Colomiers was the difference between the two sides in the opening half as Ben Martin's three penalties were cancelled out by Camille Lopez's own trio.

Martin went on to add a fourth success to make it 17-9 to the hosts, but Bordeaux rallied thanks to Vungakoto Lilo's 52nd-minute try, which Lopez converted. He also went on to land a 56th-minute penalty and a 59th-minute drop-goal before Martin's late fifth penalty led to a nerve-jangling conclusion.

Ninth-placed Aurillac are just a point further back after they won 23-18 at relegation-bound Aix-en-Provence.

Antoine Lescalmel's boot helped the home side into a surprise 15-6 lead after 52 minutes but Aurillac raised their game just in time to rescue the points. Ropate Ratu's 53rd-minute try sparked the comeback, with Jérémy Bourlon adding the conversion and a subsequent penalty to give Aurillac the lead for the first time after an hour.

Bourlon then confirmed the result beyond all doubt with his 70th-minute try which he naturally converted to complete a personal match haul of 18 points.

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