ProD2, r9: Oyonnax up to second after beating Provence for sixth successive win

02 November 2009

Table-toppers SU Agen opened up a four-point lead in ProD2 at the weekend as they hammered Mont-de-Marsan 37-8 to record a bonus-point home win. The hosts ran-in five tries, including two in the final four minutes to secure the extra point.

A brace of Romain Sola penalties put them 6-0 up after 20 minutes, with the home side stretching their advantage after being awarded a penalty try shortly before the interval. Sola added the conversion, but was off target when flanker Opeti Fonua touched down eight minutes after the resumption to leave it 18-0.

Thibault Duvallet's 49th-minute penalty finally put Mont-de-Marsan on the board, but Jean Monribot's try shortly after (together with another Sola conversion) further stretched Agen's lead to 25-3.

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The home side's apparent cruise towards the bonus-point win was briefly interrupted when Fijian winger Timoci Matanavu scored a try for the hosts with 24 minutes to play, and Agen's anxieties were heightened with Sola was show a yellow card 10 minutes later.

But former Munster flanker John O'Sullivan raised the home cheers when he grabbed Agen's fourth try - and the bonus point - just four minutes from time, before replacement lock Ueleni Fono rounded off a satisfying afternoon with their fifth try in the final minute.

With Lyon OU's home game against Tarbes postponed due to the H1NI virus, it means Agen's nearest rivals are now in-form Oyonnax.

Last year's beaten play-off finalists made it six successive league wins thanks to a 16-3 away victory at Aix-en-Provence.

A pair of Sylver Tian penalties put the visitors 6-0 up at half-time, a lead they further extended after the interval courtesy of Jerome Naves' 57th-minute try and five more points from Tian's boot.

Antoine Lescalmel's solitary penalty was all Provence could manage in reply as the former Fédérale 1 side slipped back into the relegation zone.

That was primarily because Colomiers - who had started the weekend in 15th spot - held off a spirited Lannemezan to record a 17-13 home win over the still win-less basement club.

All the points in this match came during an action-packed first half, with Lannemezan taking an early lead through lock Grégory Bernard's seventh-minute try.

Colomiers' response was two tries of their own in a 13-minute period, with Moroccan centre Mehadji Tidjini and flanker Fabien Berneau both crossing for the home side. Fly-half Frédéric Couzier kicked both conversions, to add to an earlier penalty, but Lannemezan remained in touch thanks to a brace of penalties from Manuel Cascarra.

Lannemezan winger David Marque saw yellow in the 54th-minute but there were no more scores after the interval, leaving Colomiers to savour only their third win of the season and Lannemezan to collect a fourth defensive bonus.

Pau continued their recent good form with a 17-11 home win over Union Bordeaux-Bègles that lifted them up to seventh.

Henri-Pierre Vermis gave the visitors the lead with an early penalty, but Pau replied with a try through Fabien Magnan and Andre Hough's conversion. Union hooker Frédéric Montagnat responded in kind for the visitors before Hough's 34th-minute penalty allowed the home side to go in 10-8 ahead at the interval.

With the match delicately poised Pau then earned a penalty try 10 minutes after the restart - again converted by Hough - and maintained their 17-8 advantage until Vermis landed his second penalty just 13 minutes from time. It was enough to earn the visitors a defensive bonus, but not enough to prevent them slipping to their sixth defeat in nine. Union are now 14th in ProD2, just three points above the drop zone.

FC Auch Gers won the mid-table battle with Aurillac, eventually triumphing 34-23 after being given a late fright by the visitors.

The hosts were already 21-17 up shortly after half-time, and two Benjamin Feilles penalties extended that to 27-17 by the the time winger Albert Valentin saw red for the visitors in the 50th minute. A regulation home win then appeared on the cards against 14-man Aurillac, but Rory Teague landed successful penalties in the 71st and 75th minutes to set up a dramatic finale.

But just as hopes of an unlikely away win began to rise Auch winger Nathan Thierry scored the game's decisive try with three minutes remaining, with Feilles kicking the conversion to ensure victory.

Earlier, the first-half had largely been dominated by the kickers once Thomas Bastellica and Sergio Valdes had both gone over for the hosts in the opening eight minutes. Feilles only managed one of the two conversions, but did add two subsequent drop-goals and a penalty.

In reply Teague kicked four penalties to accompany Dan Baleinadogo's 42nd-minute try.

A second-half fightback by La Rochelle earned the visitors a share of the spoils at Grenoble after they rallied to draw 9-9.

Two Pierre-Alexandre Dut penalties and a Fabien Gengenbacher drop-goal put the hosts 9-0 up after 47 minutes, but La Rochelle replied with a trio of Romain Lacoste penalties as they bounced back from last weekend's home defeat by Lyon.

The weekend's final game saw RC Narbonne inflict Dax's first home defeat of the season as the former Top 14 side crashed 3-17.

Twenty-one-year-old Fijian winger Sionasa Vunisa opened the scoring for the visitors when he touched down for his fifth try in eight games in the 21st minute. Christopher Ruiz added the extras and a subsequent penalty to put Narbonne 10-0 up at half-time.

Anthony Lagadere got Dax on the board with a 45th-minute penalty, but Narbonne continued to dominate and pushed further ahead soon after when winger Romain Martial grabbed their second try.

Both sides then had a player sin-binned - Narbonne's Delkeith Pottas and Dax's Kane Thompson - but there were no further scores as the visitors held on for an excellent away win that lifted them up to third spot.   

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