Top 10: Unbeaten Rennes lead the way
Its all change in French club rugby. After only four rounds in the new Top 10 only Rennes - who did not even finish in the top half of the table last season.- are the only unbeaten team.
Published by John Birch, October 16th, 2013
3 minute read
Such is the nature of the pool phase of this season's, almost wholly unpredictable, championship.Two teams - the ones finishing bottom of each of the five-team pools - will be relegated before the end of December and the prospect of nine months of no meaningful clubrugby is resulting in some incredible tense rugby.
This is particularly evident in Pool 2 where only 14 points were scored in the two pool games on Sunday. The opening game saw the pride of the north-west take on the north-east, with Rennes travelling to Lille. Both teams were unbeaten at the start, so something had to give - and it was the record of the home team that fell. Last season's runners-up Lille had scraped a 3-0 win over Blagnac St Orens in the last round, but this time the single score went the other way, Rennes taking the spoils 5-0.
Tense though that that game was, the players and supporters of Lille and Rennes know that they should be fairly safe - at least at this stage in proceedings. Its a different story at the bottom, especially for Blagnac St Orens who were looking for a first win after defeats by one point in round two and three points in round three. Their opponents were newly promoted La Valette, but less exalted though the opposition was the result was the same - another incredibly close three point defeat, this time 16-13. As a result "BSORF" - despite being highly competitive - find themselves in the trap-door position, one point behind Lons - who had the week off.
Pool 1 is probably a little less tense as Bordeaux are clearly behind the pace of the rest of the division, going down to their third defeat, 20-5 at home to Bobigny - who remain in poll position. In the other game, champions Montpellier came back from their shock defeat to Bobigny in the last round with a massive six try to one, 36-8, win over Perpignan who - but for Bordeaux's poor form - might be looking over their shoulder.
Next weekend sees the pool phase reaches the halfway point. Bobigny are the team missing a game in Pool 1, with the result that the winner of Caen v Montpellier will probably go ahead at the top. Bordeaux travel to Perpignan where they simply must win.
In Pool 2 Blagnac St Orens sit it out, and they will be hoping that either Lons lose at home to Lille, or La Valette continue with their poor away form at Rennes.