Pro D2: Round 3 – Aurillac win again to move three points clear

Bourg 12	Albi 18
Grenoble 22	Pau 9
Colomiers 38	Beziers 17
Stade Rochelais 15	Auch 12
Narbonne 16	Racing 25
Lyon OR 56	Tarbes 3
SU Agen 26	Oyonnax 19
Aurillac 49	Union Bordeaux-Begles 19

Aurillac now stand alone at the head of Pro D2 after a thumping 49-19 home win against Union Bordeaux-Begles maintained their perfect start to the season.

South African Leon Karemaker scored a try in each half and there were further touch downs for Fijian wing Fero Lasagavibau, prop Giorgi Jgenti and Mathieu Lescure. South African Delkeith Pottas was successful with all five conversions, and added three penalties for good measure to complete the scoring, and a personal haul of 19 points on the day.

The result left Aurillac three points clear of second-placed Grenoble, who had a 22-9 home win against previously unbeaten Pau despite having full-back Jordan Garnier sent-off in the 64^th minute.

Baptiste Bruncher scored the game’s only try, in the 32^nd minute, with Pierre-Alexandre Dut and de Beer adding a further 17 points from their boots. Pau’s only response was a hat-trick of penalties from Andre Hough, yet another South African.

Colomiers blitzed Beziers with a spell of four tries in 17 first-half minutes as they cruised to a 38-17 win that left them as one of four clubs level on nine points.

Mehadji Tidjini claimed two of the tries with Julien Rey, Fijian Malakai Bakaniceva and captain Fabien Berneau also getting on the scoresheet. Frédéric Pujo kicked all five conversions, with Jonathan Bousquet getting a last-minute try for the visitors.

Third-placed Lyon also found their scoring form, running in five second-half tries as they demolished Tarbes 56-3.

Nicolas Raffault began the try-fest when he touched down in the last minute of the first period, with Fijian Vinaya Wakanivuga and Gerald Gambetta both adding a brace after the interval. Nicolas Bontinck also crossed, with South African full-back Jeandre Fourie adding 26 points (four conversions and six penalties) with his boot.

Stade Rochelais and Auch went try-less in their encounter with the home side recording a narrow 15-12 win at the Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Sebastien Boboul (four pens) and Ireland’s Peter Duncan (one pen) kicked the home side’s points, with Frederic Couzier (four pens) replying for Auch.

Racing Metro’s 25-16 win at Narbonne left the home side still seeking their first win of the campaign. Narbonne’s Romain Martial actually opened the scoring with a 12^th-minute try but the capital side recovered their composure to ease clear. Tongan prop Mikaele Tuugahala and X Chevancy both scored for Racing, with South African Greg Goosen adding four penalties.

Elsewhere, Bourg-en-Gesse’s travails continued as they went down to their third successive defeat, this time 12-18 at home to Albi as Kevin Boulogne slotted four penalties and a drop goal to add to Frederic Manca’s early three points.

Bourg certainly didn’t help their own cause by having two men yellow-carded – Australian full-back Nigel Staniforth and lock Pascal Laffite - although Jean-Baptiste Dambielle’s four penalties did at least secure the bottom-placed club a defensive point.

Meanwhile, Agen beat Oyonnax 26-19 thanks to tries from Romain Samuel-Edmond and Moroccan hooker Djalil Narjissi.