Five rounds, three unbeaten teams: Pro D2 has rarely had a tighter group at the top after an opening block. Behind them, the gaps are already opening.

Nothing moved at the top. Brive opened the round on Thursday by beating Colomiers, Provence Rugby snatched a fifth win against Aurillac in the final quarter, and Oyonnax ran through the bottom side.

The round’s results

Match Score
Brive – Colomiers 41-26
Beziers – Narbonne 34-24
Biarritz – Montauban 32-20
Dax – Nice 45-17
Soyaux-Angouleme – Agen 36-22
Oyonnax – Nevers 56-35
Provence Rugby – Aurillac 24-20
Grenoble – Valence-Romans 20-17

Oyonnax pull clear on the try count

The hosts scored three tries in the opening twelve minutes and end the block on 27 tries and 205 points from five games, the best attack in the division. Their three try bonuses are the whole difference with Brive and Provence, who have the same number of wins but two points fewer.

Biarritz sit fourth on 18 points after a 32-20 win over Montauban, earned despite nine lineouts lost and helped by the 17 penalties their visitors conceded.

At the bottom, Nevers hang on without winning

The table is harsh on Nevers, the only side without a win, but they have taken a losing bonus point in four of their five defeats, which leaves them on four points, one behind Agen. Agen have the weakest attack in the division with 102 points scored, while Beziers have the fewest tries with eleven.

Dax are a different case: 185 points scored, 187 conceded, three home wins and three away defeats. Their bonus-point win over Nice was shaped as early as the 8th minute by Iakopo Mapu’s red card, which also cost the visitors a disallowed try.

The table after five rounds

# Team P W L Diff Pts
1 Oyonnax 5 5 0 +90 23
2 Brive 5 5 0 +62 21
3 Provence Rugby 5 5 0 +52 21
4 Biarritz 5 4 1 +41 18
5 Soyaux-Angouleme 5 3 2 +42 14
6 Grenoble 5 3 2 +22 14
7 Dax 5 3 2 -2 14
8 Montauban 5 3 2 -14 13
9 Narbonne 5 2 3 -46 9
10 Valence-Romans 5 1 4 +1 8
11 Beziers 5 2 3 -65 8
12 Aurillac 5 1 4 -34 7
13 Colomiers 5 1 4 -5 6
14 Nice 5 1 4 -47 6
15 Agen 5 1 4 -67 5
16 Nevers 5 0 5 -30 4

The league resumes after a weekend off, with Brive travelling to Montauban.

Chiffres à retenir

27 Tries scored by Oyonnax in five rounds, the best total in the division

3 Oyonnax try bonuses, the whole difference with Brive and Provence Rugby

4/5 Nevers defeats that came with a losing bonus point

17 Penalties conceded by Montauban at Biarritz

11 Tries scored by Beziers, the lowest total in Pro D2