Rugby News
Academy Player
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2006
- Messages
- 71
/Frontpagebanners/TOP14review6.png
As France's top players put pride, passion and a huge dose of respect back into the jersey and dumped an embarrassingly listless England out of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday night in Auckland, the rest of the nation's professionals were back at the coal-face for Round 6 of the Top 14...
Bordeaux 11-13 Biarritz
The 2006 Bouclier de Brennus winners put in a dogged performance to claim a hard-fought first win of the season at Stade Andre-Moga on Friday night.
The hosts led 6-0 at half-time through Camille Lopez's drop goal and a Gerard Frazer penalty and things got worse for the Basque club after the break as Felix Le Bourhis try made it 11-3. But BOPB's forwards then took over and powered their way to a penalty try with the clock running down; Bordeaux's Welsh prop Richard Davies seeing yellow as a result.
Jean-Pascal Barraque's second penalty of the day won the game for Patrice Lagisquet's men and although they remain 13th in the standings, this important win will have done wonders for Basque confidence.
Perpignan 12-19 Agen
Agen's encouraging start to the Top 14 season continued on Friday as they inflicted Perpignan's first home defeat of the new campaign.
After a fraught first half that saw the visitors claim a 13-3 advantage with a try from former Queensland Red, Junior Pelesasa and USAP flanker Gregory Le Corvec red carded for headbutting, Perpignan set about the second 40 with great determination and intent.
The boot of Jerome Porical kept them within touch of their less prestigious opposition and they pushed hard to find the score that could have clinched the encounter; but the cool head and clinical kicking of South African fly-half Conrad Barnard eventually won it for the 2010 Pro D2 champions.
Montpellier 19-6 Toulon
Relief all round at Stade Yves du Manoir on Friday night as last season's runners-up finally got a victory to their name in 2011/12. A first period dominated by the home side was definitely for the purists, and one that saw Montpellier leading 6-3 at the interval with Martin Bustos Moyano's two successful kicks off-set by one from former Springbok Andre Pretorius.
Toulon offered very little going forward throughout the 80 minutes and when MHRC wing Timoci Nagusa touched down with as the game entered the final quarter the result was assured for Fabien Galthie's men.
Stade Francais 28-17 Brive
Julien Dupuy displayed some excellent form to drive SFP to victory in Round 6. Stade preserved their 100% home record at Stade Charlety on Friday, with scrum-half Julien Dupuy contributing all of the team's points.
Despite an early sin-bin for Cook Islands prop Stan Wright, the home side fronted up well following the mauling at Toulon the previous weekend and although Brive crossed whitewash twice in the first half through Guillaume Namy and Petrus Haumann, Dupuy held his nerve to kick Stade to a slender 15-14 half-time lead.
After a first half cooling down for half-back Mathieu Belie, Brive had to content with their second yellow card of the night on 67 minutes as captain Antoine Claassen was given his marching orders for infringing at the ruck. Within minutes former Leicester Tiger Dupuy had capitalised on his side's 2-man advantage to score a converted try and add a further penalty to put a gloss on the win.
Lyon 16-18 Castres
Castres took pole position in the Top 14 for 24 hours on Friday night as 6 successful penalty kicks turned out to be enough to see off a stern challenge from basement club Lyon.
Fly-half Pierre Bernard provided 15 points from the boot, but with Lyon full-back Regis Lespinas converting Coenie Basson's try 15 minutes from time the hosts edged 16-15 ahead.
But with the clock running down, former Natal Shark Rory Kockott struck the killer blow from the tee to break Lyon hearts at Stade Matmut.
Bayonne 27-23 Racing Metro
Despite outscoring their hosts 2 tries to 0 at Stade Jean Dauger, Racing suffered their third defeat of the season on Friday night, with the boot of Bayonne full-back Benjamin Boyet ultimately proving the difference.
The Sky and Blues' raced into the lead early on with Fijian centre Josh Matavesi crashing over the try-line, but peerless kicking from Boyet - aided by a drop goal from scrum-half Cedric Garcia - gave the hosts a 12-10 lead at the interval.
Racing strived to make a mark on the encounter as Boyet's metronomic kicking kept the scoreline ticking over, but a yellow card for powerful Number 8 Jone Qovu severely hampered the Parisians' chances.
Jonathan Wisniewski maintained his own good kicking performance by converting a Virimi Vatakawa try late on, but an 8th and final Boyet penalty in the last minute made sure a losing bonus point was all Pierre Berbizier's big shots got out of the encounter.
Toulouse 22-9 Clermont Auvergne
Toulouse returned to the top of the table on Saturday after an accomplished victory over Clermont at the Stade Ernest Wallon.
First half tries for centre Yann David and wing Timoci Matanavou help build a 15-3 interval lead and it was one the giants of European rugby were never in danger of relinquishing.
Australian fly-half Brock James gave the score some credibility for Les Jaunards, but after Toulouse bagged a third try through veteran full-back Clement Poitrenaud the result was no longer in doubt; a late sin-bin for flanker Alexandre Lapandry adding to Clermont's woes.
As France's top players put pride, passion and a huge dose of respect back into the jersey and dumped an embarrassingly listless England out of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday night in Auckland, the rest of the nation's professionals were back at the coal-face for Round 6 of the Top 14...
Bordeaux 11-13 Biarritz
The 2006 Bouclier de Brennus winners put in a dogged performance to claim a hard-fought first win of the season at Stade Andre-Moga on Friday night.
The hosts led 6-0 at half-time through Camille Lopez's drop goal and a Gerard Frazer penalty and things got worse for the Basque club after the break as Felix Le Bourhis try made it 11-3. But BOPB's forwards then took over and powered their way to a penalty try with the clock running down; Bordeaux's Welsh prop Richard Davies seeing yellow as a result.
Jean-Pascal Barraque's second penalty of the day won the game for Patrice Lagisquet's men and although they remain 13th in the standings, this important win will have done wonders for Basque confidence.
Perpignan 12-19 Agen
Agen's encouraging start to the Top 14 season continued on Friday as they inflicted Perpignan's first home defeat of the new campaign.
After a fraught first half that saw the visitors claim a 13-3 advantage with a try from former Queensland Red, Junior Pelesasa and USAP flanker Gregory Le Corvec red carded for headbutting, Perpignan set about the second 40 with great determination and intent.
The boot of Jerome Porical kept them within touch of their less prestigious opposition and they pushed hard to find the score that could have clinched the encounter; but the cool head and clinical kicking of South African fly-half Conrad Barnard eventually won it for the 2010 Pro D2 champions.
Montpellier 19-6 Toulon
Relief all round at Stade Yves du Manoir on Friday night as last season's runners-up finally got a victory to their name in 2011/12. A first period dominated by the home side was definitely for the purists, and one that saw Montpellier leading 6-3 at the interval with Martin Bustos Moyano's two successful kicks off-set by one from former Springbok Andre Pretorius.
Toulon offered very little going forward throughout the 80 minutes and when MHRC wing Timoci Nagusa touched down with as the game entered the final quarter the result was assured for Fabien Galthie's men.
Stade Francais 28-17 Brive
Julien Dupuy displayed some excellent form to drive SFP to victory in Round 6. Stade preserved their 100% home record at Stade Charlety on Friday, with scrum-half Julien Dupuy contributing all of the team's points.
Despite an early sin-bin for Cook Islands prop Stan Wright, the home side fronted up well following the mauling at Toulon the previous weekend and although Brive crossed whitewash twice in the first half through Guillaume Namy and Petrus Haumann, Dupuy held his nerve to kick Stade to a slender 15-14 half-time lead.
After a first half cooling down for half-back Mathieu Belie, Brive had to content with their second yellow card of the night on 67 minutes as captain Antoine Claassen was given his marching orders for infringing at the ruck. Within minutes former Leicester Tiger Dupuy had capitalised on his side's 2-man advantage to score a converted try and add a further penalty to put a gloss on the win.
Lyon 16-18 Castres
Castres took pole position in the Top 14 for 24 hours on Friday night as 6 successful penalty kicks turned out to be enough to see off a stern challenge from basement club Lyon.
Fly-half Pierre Bernard provided 15 points from the boot, but with Lyon full-back Regis Lespinas converting Coenie Basson's try 15 minutes from time the hosts edged 16-15 ahead.
But with the clock running down, former Natal Shark Rory Kockott struck the killer blow from the tee to break Lyon hearts at Stade Matmut.
Bayonne 27-23 Racing Metro
Despite outscoring their hosts 2 tries to 0 at Stade Jean Dauger, Racing suffered their third defeat of the season on Friday night, with the boot of Bayonne full-back Benjamin Boyet ultimately proving the difference.
The Sky and Blues' raced into the lead early on with Fijian centre Josh Matavesi crashing over the try-line, but peerless kicking from Boyet - aided by a drop goal from scrum-half Cedric Garcia - gave the hosts a 12-10 lead at the interval.
Racing strived to make a mark on the encounter as Boyet's metronomic kicking kept the scoreline ticking over, but a yellow card for powerful Number 8 Jone Qovu severely hampered the Parisians' chances.
Jonathan Wisniewski maintained his own good kicking performance by converting a Virimi Vatakawa try late on, but an 8th and final Boyet penalty in the last minute made sure a losing bonus point was all Pierre Berbizier's big shots got out of the encounter.
Toulouse 22-9 Clermont Auvergne
Toulouse returned to the top of the table on Saturday after an accomplished victory over Clermont at the Stade Ernest Wallon.
First half tries for centre Yann David and wing Timoci Matanavou help build a 15-3 interval lead and it was one the giants of European rugby were never in danger of relinquishing.
Australian fly-half Brock James gave the score some credibility for Les Jaunards, but after Toulouse bagged a third try through veteran full-back Clement Poitrenaud the result was no longer in doubt; a late sin-bin for flanker Alexandre Lapandry adding to Clermont's woes.
