Pro D2 (R9) – Oyonnax back on top, Grenoble win at the death

A review of Pro D2 round 9, played on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October.

Oyonnax returned to the top of Pro D2 on Friday night, two points clear of Provence Rugby, who were held at Dax the night before. Round 9 also saw Grenoble make it six wins in a row with the last kick at Beziers, and Nevers lose again despite leading at the break.

The top four rule away from home

The top four have won 13 of their 18 away games, or 72%. That is exactly the win rate of all clubs at home this season (52 out of 72). The other twelve have won just 5 of their 54 away games, and eight of them are still waiting for their first win on the road.

Soyaux-Angouleme have the third-best points difference in the league (+73), yet are only 7th. Dax score 39.8 points a game at home and concede 57.3 away.

Oyonnax grind it out, Provence held

Oyonnax had scored at least 47 points in each of their first four home games. They managed 22 against Soyaux-Angouleme and even trailed 6-5 at the break: Ben Botica, back at Charles-Mathon, had kicked two penalties, and only Feleti Kaitu’u had replied, from a maul. Thomas Vincent and Cyriac Guilly gave Oyonnax some breathing space (15-6, 56th minute) before winger Katende Tumba pulled the visitors back to within two points (15-13, 70th). A second maul, finished by young hooker Sacha Lonchampt in the 77th minute, settled it and denied the visitors a losing bonus point. It is Oyonnax’s first home win of the season without a try bonus.

On Thursday, Provence had trailed 16-3 and lost Paul Cellio-Zwiler to a red card before fighting back to 16-16 at Dax. They remain unbeaten but lose top spot. The top two meet next week, at Provence.

With 358 points scored, Oyonnax have the highest total after nine rounds across the 22 Pro D2 seasons we compared, well ahead of Mont-de-Marsan (323 in 2021-22). Their 38 league points are the best at this stage since 2014-15, ahead of Lyon (2015-16) and Vannes (2023-24), both on 37. Provence’s 36 points would have put them top in ten of those twelve seasons, thanks to the league’s best defence: 177 points and 21 tries conceded.

Grenoble at the death, Beziers sink further

At Raoul-Barriere, Beziers looked to have the game in hand: tries from Pierre Courtaud and Luka Goginava, then the dismissal of Giorgi Pertaia, on shortly before and sent off for an elbow to Goginava’s face (55th). With fourteen men, Grenoble still went ahead through Raffaele Costa Storti, who began his professional career at Beziers (22-24, 70th). Mechentel put the home side back in front in the 78th minute, but Marc Palmier, who finished with 17 points, had the last word from the tee. Beziers won the ball back after the hooter, only for Costa Storti to steal it at the breakdown. It is Grenoble’s sixth straight win and their third away from home. Beziers, 15th, have now lost seven. “It’s cruel,” hooker Yanis Lockwood told Midi Libre.

Four of Grenoble’s six straight wins came by four points or fewer: at Nice (37-33), against Valence Romans (20-17) and Colomiers (23-20), then at Beziers. They have just one try bonus this season, against five for Oyonnax.

Nevers concede 26 after the break

Nevers led Brive 12-7 at half-time thanks to Dylan Jaminet and Shaun Reynolds, despite a yellow card for Aitor Kitutu. They did not score again. Yann Peysson, Yanis Charcosset, Valerio Siciliano and Gatien Masse took Brive’s try count to five, in ever-thickening fog. Leny Broncan kept turning down shots at goal for the corner, and the forwards made the difference from the maul. Brive end a run of three defeats with a bonus point. Charcosset now has six tries this season, one behind the league’s top try scorer, Ben Houston.

No club had lost its first nine Pro D2 matches since Lannemezan in 2009-10, who opened with twelve straight defeats. All four of Nevers’ points date from the first four rounds. Their first four defeats came by 4, 2, 1 and 2 points; the next five have cost them 113 points, never fewer than 15 in a game.

Montauban survive a scare

At Sapiac, Paul Vallee scored a hat-trick, his first three tries of the season, and Montauban led 33-11 after an hour with the bonus point secured. They let everything slip except the win. On in the 57th minute, Apisai Naqalevu scored twice in five minutes for Narbonne, Sifa Amone was sent off late on, and Thibault Santoro kicked a penalty after the hooter to give the promoted side a losing bonus point. “When you’re leading 33-11 after an hour, we made changes and we lost the thread,” manager Sebastien Tillous-Borde told La Depeche. Montauban, unbeaten at home, sit 5th.

Colomiers wrap it up before the break

A heavily rotated Agen side, with several senior players rested, found themselves 27-0 down after 36 minutes. Colomiers, driven by their scrum and lineout, ran in six tries for a third straight bonus-point win at home. Agen won the second half 14-10, too late. “In the first half, we didn’t go forward,” their manager Mauricio Reggiardo told Sud Ouest. Agen had won their previous three matches but have not won at Colomiers since 2014.

Nice breathe easier, Biarritz back in the top 6

On his return as captain, lock Adrian Motoc set Nice on their way from a maul. They stole four Aurillac lineouts before the break and led 29-10 after 52 minutes. Nathan Azais sparked a fightback, but Aurillac leave empty-handed and see a three-match winning run end. One last lost lineout ended their hopes of a losing bonus point. “We got caught in the physical battle,” coach Romeo Gontineac told La Montagne.

Biarritz just held on for their first win of October. Hooker Iban Hiriart-Urruty scored twice in the first twelve minutes, and Edgar Retiere, starting at fly-half in place of the injured Thomas Dolhagaray, scored 19 points. Biarritz stole three lineouts in the first half, but their scrum went backwards all night and gave up its own put-in five times, Sud Ouest noted. Trailing 34-23 after 73 minutes, Valence Romans snatched their third away losing bonus point through Issam Hamel three minutes from time. They are still waiting for their first away win.

Fewer points for two rounds

Round 9 produced 49.3 points a game and 48 tries, both the lowest of the season. Round 8 was already down at 51.8 points, against an average of 59.4 over the first seven rounds. The level remains very high: 57.5 points a game after nine rounds, the highest of our 22 seasons compared. The figure was 52.0 last season and had never gone above 45.5 between 2005-06 and 2024-25.

The table after round 9