ProD2, r26: Leaders Agen stretch their lead on a good weekend for the leading five

06 April 2010

ProD2 leaders SU Agen have become the first team to secure their play-off slot after their resounding 31-3 home win against Colomiers at the weekend.

Agen's latest victory - their 18th in 26 games - lifted them to 89 points, a full 22 clear of sixth-placed Pau with just four games to play. It also moved them six clear of second-placed Oyonnax courtesy of their eighth attacking bonus of the season.

South African fly-half Conrad Barnard kicked four penalties in the opening half four to ease them 12-3 ahead, with Fijian centre Saimoni Vaka adding a try just before the interval to stretch the lead.

The 22-year-old went on to claim a second try on 57 minutes - his seventh of the season - before fellow countryman Rupeni Caucaunibuca followed in just three minutes later. Conrad's conversion made it 31-3, and that's how it stayed as Agen closed out the win. 

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Second-placed Oyonnax also won, but still ceded ground after they failed to get the attacking bonus in their hard-fought 16-6 home victory against Union Bordeaux-Bègles. Indeed, the hosts were trailing 3-6 at half-time before Montpellier target Sylver Tian changed the game with the only try of the afternoon.

The impressive full-back added the conversion to an earlier penalty, and went on to secure the win with two additional successes before the hour mark as he scored all of Oyonnax's 16 points. He is now second in the league's scoring charts with 199 for the season, underlying just why Montpellier appear interested.

Third-placed La Rochelle remain three points behind Oyonnax after grinding out a 9-3 away at FC Auch Gers. It may not have been the most spectacular game of rugby, but Stade Rochelais will just be happy with the win at this stage of the season.

Two Sébastien Boboul penalties and a third from Benjamin Dambielle did the trick on Saturday afternoon, although the visitors made it harder for themselves when Thomas Soucaze was yellow-carded on the hour. Replacement Laurent Simutoga followed suit two minutes from the end, but La Rochelle did just enough to earn their 10th win in 11 games as the continue to push for promotion.

But they are being chased hard by Lyon OU, who closed to within four points with a game in hand (against basement club Lannemezan) following their impressive 27-3 victory at RC Narbonne.

The match had an explosive start which culminated in three players being yellow-carded in the seventh minute, with Narbonne's Brice Chevchenko being sin-binned along with Lyon pair Cédric Lelte and Xavier Fiard.

The home side could only manage a Delkeith Pottas penalty during their numerical advantage and Lyon struck back with power as they then rattled in 22 points in 16 minutes.

Flanker Gerald Gambetta opened their blitz with his 22nd-minute try, swiftly followed by Brice Salobert going over shortly after. Xavier Sadourny then landed a drop-goal before Gambetta doubled up just before the interval. Pierre-Yves Montagnat kicked his second successful conversion and suddenly the visitors were 3-22 ahead.

There was no further score until 15 minutes from time, when Lyon winger Mosese Ratuvou went over for their fourth try, but the away side did more than enough to claim the attacking bonus. They also put a dent in Narbonne's own play-off hopes, with the host slipping from sixth to eighth as a result of their defeat.

Fifth-placed Grenoble also claimed an attacking bonus after they dispatched relegation-bound Aix-en-Provence 28-5.

Free-scoring winger Wylie Human grabbed two tries in the opening half hour - the eighth and ninth of the season for the former Stormers player - but Provence managed a reply through hooker Boris Bethery before the break to leave it 14-5 to the hosts.

It remained that way until the hour mark before Olivier Testou's 61st-minute yellow card  paved the way for two more tries in eight minutes for Grenoble, with Pierre Laurent and Gwendal Olivier both crossing to wrap up the convincing win.

So, Grenoble still occupy the final play-off slot at present, with Pau now their nearest challengers after their scrappy 21-15 win away to Lannemezan.

The prospects of an attacking bonus looked good when Pau number eight Arnaud Epito touched down on four minutes after a fluent handling move, but Lannemezan fought hard for every ball and made their visitors earn their points.

The home team - searching for only their fourth win of the season - fought back to lead 12-10 after 25 minutes thanks to a brace of penalties from both Jean-Marie Heraut and Christophe Dasque as the weather conditions deteriorated.

Pau's livewire scrum-half Clément Darbo replied with two of his own to leave it 12-16 to Pau at the break, and the game looked wrapped up when Bruno Hiriart scored their second try with half an hour still to play.

But the home side refused to buckle and battled back through the lashing wind and rain, closing to within six points before battering the Pau forwards in the final 10 minutes. Handling errors, and a dogged defence, kept them at bay however, and in the end they were forced to settle for a hard-earned defensive bonus point - their seventh of a trying campaign.

Aurillac moved up from ninth to seventh thanks to their 36-18 home win against Tarbes, but the hosts were given a scare after slipping 6-18 down early in the second half.

Two Jérémy Bourlon penalties put them 6-3 after half an hour, but Tarbes then15 points in a 12 minute spell either side of the interval, with tries from Mamuka Magrakvelidze and Paul Dabrin. Richard Apanui converted the first and added his second penalty of the match on 48 minutes, to leave a stunned Aurillac looking at a shock home defeat.

Bourlon's third penalty success finally stopped the rot on 51 minutes, and 10 minutes later they closed the gap to just two points after he then converted a try from replacement Vincent Caldayroux.

Two further penalties in three minutes saw Aurillac go 22-18 up, but they weren't done yet and added another brace of tries before the end as they finished with a flourish. Marc Laffron went over on 71 minutes, with Mickaël Gracia following suit on 79 minutes as the home side racked up an impressive 27 points in the closing quarter. They were undoubtedly helped by Jorge Garcia's yellow card 10 minutes from time, but the win was essential to maintain their play-off hopes, although they must still be considered outsiders as they are seven points adrift of Grenoble.

The weekend's other match saw Dax beat Mont-de-Marsan 19-15 in the battle between the two sides relegated from Top 14 last season.

Five Yannick Lafforgue penalties put the visitors 15-12 ahead at the interval, with Dax's points coming via three Maxime Petitjean penalties and a drop-goal. But the game's turning point came seven minutes after the restart when Mont-de-Marsan's ill-discipline prove costly as Rudolph Bérek was yellow-carded and Sébastien Ormaechea got a straight red.

Dax took full advantage to claim a penalty try just two minutes later, with Petitjean again on target with the conversion to leave the hosts 19-15 up.

It remained like that until the final whistle despite the home side playing out the closing stages a man down following Christopher Poulain's 69th-minute yellow card.

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