Top 14, r22: Rosalen stars as Montauban beat Racing-Métro to boost survival hopes

14 March 2010

Fly-half Cédric Rosalen kicked 30 points as relegation-threatened Montauban beat high-flying Racing-Métro 45-31 at the Stade Sapiac on Saturday night.

The win wasn't enough to lift Montauban out of the drop zone but they are now just one point behind 13th-placed Montpellier with four games left to play. Bayonne and Bourgoin also remain within touching distance despite their Friday night wins (see below) as just three points now separate the four teams above relegated Albi in an increasingly congested table.

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The result also dented Racing's faltering play-off aspirations as the Parisians slipped to their fourth defeat in six league games. Brive have climbed to within four points of Pierre Berbizier's team, with the two teams now set to meet in a fortnight's time (in round 23) in what has effectively become a play-off shoot-out.

Montauban got off to an ideal start on Saturday evening thanks to a fourth-minute try from centre Rida Jahouer as they sought to bounce back from their 22-14 defeat at Bourgoin the previous weekend. Rosalen slotted the conversion and went on to add four penalties and a drop-goal as the home side surged into a 22-9 lead at half time.

Racing's points all came via the boot of veteran All Black fly-half Andrew Mehrtens, playing in place of the injured (and influential) Jonathan Wisniewski.

Berbizier clearly had stern words with his troops at the interval and Racing emerged with renewed passion as they took the game to Montauban at the start of the second half. Fijian winger Sireli Bobo raced in for their opening try just four minutes after the restart - following a neat chip by Mehrtens - and the Racing fly-half then added the conversion and a penalty to leave it 22-19 after 55 minutes.

Rosalen replied with his own penalty for the hosts but flanker Abdelatif Boutaty was then yellow-carded, paving the way for yet more Racing pressure which eventually resulted in a penalty try. Mehrtens' conversion gave Racing the lead for the first time on the night as the visitors threatened to ruin the script, but Rosalen continued his tour de force with the boot, calming home nerves with a penalty and drop-goal as Montauban regained the initiative.

They were leading 31-26 with nine minutes to go when winger Jean-Philippe Viard then crossed for the game's decisive try. Rosalen, inevitably, added the extras as Montauban finally broke the visitors' defiance, and replacement scrum-half Julien Larroque then sealed the win by touching down for a superb solo try three minutes from the end.

There was still time for Racing's Julien Saubade to race in for the final try of an entertaining game, but it was no more than consolation for the Paris outfit.

Racing's latest defeat also served as a boost to the three teams below them seeking to break into the top six, although Stade Francais and Biarritz didn't help themselves by both losing on Friday night.

Stade Francais went down 26-14 away to Brive as they slipped to a second successive defeat, following last weekend's 0-29 humiliation by Stade Toulousain.

Both teams went into the clash knowing defeat would severely dent their respective top six aspirations, but it was hosts Brive who emerged victorious as they turned forward pressure into points at the Stade Amédée Domenech.

Fabrice Estebanez and Lionel Beauxis traded an early penalty each before former Stade winger Nicolas Jeanjean went over for the game's opening try on 17 minutes. Jeanjean. Estebanez added the conversion and three further kicks (two penalties and a drop-goal) to ease Brive 19-6 ahead at the interval.

Beauxis' third success - five minutes after the restart - briefly threatened to make a game of it, but prop Rodrigo Roncero was then yellow-carded, with his outnumbered team-mates forced into conceding a penalty try just two minutes later.

Estebanez's conversion made it 26-9, and although Stade rallied in the last 10 minutes it was far too little too late for the capital club. Laurent Sempéré went over for a consolation score in the 70th minute and Djibril Camara knocked on when sent clear three minutes from time, but Stade still left empty-handed as they contemplated their second major set-back in six days.

If Brive are to make the play-offs - and they have history in late qualification from last season - then it seems Racing-Métro are the team they will have to dislodge after Toulon and Stade Toulousain both recorded convincing wins.

Toulon's latest win was a highly impressive 19-6 victory over leaders Castres as they maintained their year-long unbeaten home record.

The Stade Félix Mayol was in typically exuberant mood as they welcomed Top 14's pace-setters, but it was the hosts who started brighter, opening up an 14-3 half-time advantage thanks to a Maleli Kefu try and nine points from the reliable boot of Felipe Contepomi.

Castres, by contrast, missed three shots at goal as Cameron McIntyre failed to reproduce the metronomic form of injured kicker Romain Teulet. McIntyre did eventually get them on the board with a 40th-minute penalty, but it had little effect on the overall game.

The visitors raised the tempo after the interval but Toulon's defence held firm and they further extended their lead when Olivier Missoup touched down following a devastating break from Christian Loamanu - who looked to be seriously injured after being brought down just one metre from the try line. Contepomi missed the conversion but the game was already won by then, with Castres' sole response being a second McIntyre penalty 13 minutes from time.

Toulon's win maintained their excellent recent form as they followed up victories against Stade Toulousain and Biarritz to make it four wins from four in the league, and give themselves a genuine chance of claiming a top two spot.

That prospect was further enhanced by second-placed Clermont Auvergne going down 22-13 at Bayonne, as the Basques continue their own resurgence to further force themselves from the drop zone.

The home side got off to the perfect start when winger Sam Gerber rounded off a sweeping first-minute move to score with the game's opening attack. Spanish scrum-half Cédric Garcia added the conversion and a fifth-minute drop-goal to make it 10-0 before a Sérémaia Bai penalty put 'Les Jaunards' on the board soon after.

Garcia's second drop-goal - this time a long-range effort from 40m - extended Bayonne's advantage to 10 points after quarter of an hour and Clermont were then reduced to 14 men when Canadian lock Jamie Cudmore was sin-binned for a high tackle. Garcia missed the ensuing kick, allowing Bai's second penalty success to make it 13-6 shortly before the interval.

Clermont redoubled their efforts at the start of the second half, but a series of missed dropped goals prevented any addition to their score. Indeed, it was Bayonne who added to theirs first when Garcia knocked over a 62nd-minute penalty to make it 16-6.

Clermont's replacement full-back Anthony Floch did eventually cross for the visitors with 13 minutes left, and Brock James - on for the injured Tasesa Lavea - added the conversion to bring them back to within three points. The usually reliable Australian then missed a tough penalty from the corner to level the scores, paving the way for two late Garcia kicks to seal another crucial victory for Bayonne.

This was their sixth in eight games since Christian Gajan took charge and further heaped the pressure on Montauban, especially as Bourgoin were also victorious with a 17-7 win at hapless SCA Albi.

Bourgoin, like Bayonne, have found form just in the nick of time, recording a third successive league win with this latest victory. It also, in combination with the night's other results, confirmed that Albi are now officially relegated. ProD2 has beckoned for Eric Béchu's side for some weeks now, but the final nail in the coffin was a home defeat hammered in by the season-long relegation rivals.

John Senio's 13th-minute try set Bourgoin on their way, although it was Benjamin Sa's 39th-minute yellow card which proved terminal for Albi as the visitors then went on to add a penalty try. Both were converted by Alberto Di Bernardo, who then added a 48th-minute penalty for good measure to put Bourgoin 0-17 ahead.

Stade Toulousain target Pierre-Gilles Lakafia did manage to get a try back for Albi with 12 minutes to go - converted by Kevin Boulogne - but the home side's ill-discipline proved costly again before the end when replacement Thomas Vervoot was sin-binned just two minutes after coming on.

Albi's official relegation could prove the catalyst for long-term coach Béchu to now confirm his anticipated departure, but no-one can argue with a win/defeat ration of 3/19.

Bourgoin, by contrast, have now given themselves genuine hope of survival, with their latest victory ensuring the jumped over a Montpellier side which was thrashed 34-3 at Stade Toulousain.

Guy Noves' team were simply irresistible in the opening half hour as they ran in five unanswered tries against their Mediterranean guests, with overlooked French international Louis Picamoles in particularly destructive form against his former team.

The Toulouse number eight played a significant hand in three of the five scores, including the first two for Yann David and Virgil Lacombe. It took all of 12 minutes for David to grab the opening try, but four more swiftly followed in the next 18 minutes. Jean Bouilhou was next over after Lacombe, with wingers Cedric Heymans and Vincent Clerc completing the rout.

Fly-half David Skrela kicked three out of five conversions - hitting the post with his other two efforts - to maintain both his and the team's superb form following their 29-0 win at Stade Francais last weekend.

Stade remain fourth despite their latest win, but they are now level on points with Clermont Auvergne, who dropped to third after their defeat at Bayonne.

That was because Perpignan managed to stave off a spirited Biarritz side to win 19-14 at the Stade Aimé Giral to make it 11 wins from 11 at home this season.

Jean-Philippe Grandclaude got the Catalans off to an excellent start with his 10th-minute try after good work from Henry Tuilagi and Jérôme Porical, but Biarritz responded in kind thanks to a score of their own from English full-back Iain Balshaw. Scrum-half Valentin Courrent missed the conversion but was on target with a 23rd-minute penalty to give Biarritz a 7-8 lead.

It looked set to remain that way until Nicolas Laharrague struck a 37th-minute penalty for Perpignan, but home joy was then tempered when scrum-half Nicolas Durand was yellow-carded for deliberate offside right on the stroke of half-time.

Biarritz failed to capitalise on their advantage, however, and it was Perpignan who managed the next two scores with Laharrague adding successful penalties in the 51st and 56th minutes to put them 16-8 up.

Courrent replied with his own double in the 64th and 70th minutes as Biarritz pushed for the win they needed to keep their top six hopes alive, but they were finally dashed when Laharrague kicked his fourth penalty of the evening in the closing stages to secure the win.

The victory lifted France's defending champions up to second spot, but there are now just two points separating the top four sides, with fifth-placed Toulon only two more points further back. Racing are a further eight adrift, although that could change on Saturday if the win at Montauban. 

Biarritz are now seven points off the play-off zone and only two teams - Bayonne and Albi - have lost more matches than their 12 league reverses. Quite something for the Heineken Cup quarter-finalists to chew on.

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