France’s Top 8 could hardly be closer
While the top leagues in most of the Six Nations have paused (or even come to an end), in France there have been two rounds of the Top 8 with all of the top players in action right up to the weekend before the start of the championship
Published by John Birch, February 3rd, 2016
3 minute read
Photo: Montpellier beat Lille... but Lille remain in top (Jean Louis Cucala)
It has been a remarkable two weekend in the Top 8. Only Rennes and Toulouse survived the fortnight unbeaten – and that is just because they had one game.
Lille went into the two pre-Six Nations weekends on top of the league, but began with a game against their biggest rivals, Montpellier, who they had never beaten and unfortunately that remained the case after the long trip south.
A good near four-figure crowd awaited them and they spectators did not long to wait for the home team. After just four minutes the legendary pack, lead by French captain Gaelle Mignot, powered over. Four minutes later and the lead was doubled by wing Noemie Sanch. An exchange of penalties just before the break sent Montpellier 15-3 ahead. Much of the second half was a close repeat of the first, with the pack and then Caroline Boujard adding two more tries. Only when the benches started to come into play did Lille finally cross the line, but Gaelle Mignot rounded things off with a fifth Montpellier try, and a comprehensive 34-15 win.
But a week later Montpellier travelled to Toulouse to take on Blagnac. After a scoreless opening half, Mignot scored a typical Montpellier try. However, five minutes later the home team were level through Laura Escande, but crucially Audrey Abadie, the new national team flyhalf, converted the try and then helped her team to hang on for a 7-5 win, Blagnac’s first-ever win over Montpellier.
With Lille unsurprisingly beating Caen (though only by 10-5), last year’s runners up go back to the top of the league.
Blagnac’s win against Montpellier followed a 26-15 defeat away to Bobigny the week before, but they still go into the Six Nations break just five points off the top, with Toulouse just a point behind and Bobigny just two behind them, having missed out on a great chance to go third after losing at home 15-10 to Rennes last weekend.
The league now goes into a two month break but when it comes back the fight for the four play-off places promises to go down to the wire.
CLUB
P
W
D
L
PD
BP
PTS
1
LILLE METROPOLE RC VILLENEUVOIS
11
8
1
2
161
7
41
2
MONTPELLIER R C
11
7
1
3
184
10
40
3
BLAGNAC SAINT ORENS RUGBY FEMININ
11
8
0
3
79
4
36
4
STADE TOULOUSAIN RUGBY FEMININ
11
7
1
3
92
5
35
5
A C BOBIGNY 93 RUGBY
11
6
1
4
57
7
33
6
STADE RENNAIS RUGBY
11
5
0
6
-4
6
26
7
L OVALIE CAENNAISE
11
1
0
10
-294
2
6
8
U S A P XV FEMININ ROUSSILLON
11
0
0
11
-275
0
-22