Rouen and Agen start the fort
Rouen and Agen clinched the two away victories on the first day of Pro D2, winning at promoted Massy and Provence respectively. Angoulême, Colomiers, Grenoble, Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban won on their lawn.
After Biarritz’s victory over Oyonnax on Thursday at the start of this 2022-23 Pro D2 season, five out of seven teams also won at home this Friday evening, only Rouen and Agen managing to win away from their bases. The Normans did not go into detail on the lawn of the promoted Massy by winning 26-40. They were already leading 7-23 at halftime thanks to tries from John-Charles Astle and Paul Surano against a try from Alexandre Loubière. Willy N’Diaye and Paul Surano added to the score in the second period, while Massy scored through Gaëtan Pichon, Victorien Jacomme and a losing try, but it was ultimately a heavy defeat for the Ile-de-France players. Agen, for its part, will have taken much less time than last season to sign its first victory, in the important 17-19 on the ground of Provence. If the Provençals scored two tries (one from Lapègue and one from defeat), the only try from Agenais, signed Théo Belan, combined with the four penalties from Thomas Vincent, allowed the SUA to win. The biggest victory of the evening is to be credited to Mont-de-Marsan. Les Montois, who dominated all of last season but lost the accession match, easily won 48-18 against Aurillac, with five tries from Yoann Laousse Azpiazu, Nacani Wakaya, Wame Naituvi (doubled) and a franchise try . Anderson Nelsen’s double is not enough for Cantal players, far from it. Big victory also for Colomiers, who made short work of Carcassonne, in the important 24-6 thanks to a try from Valentin Saurs and a franchise try.
Reverse Soyaux-Angoulême Vannes
For Montauban, it’s a victory of nine points at the expense of Nevers: 29-20 in a match with two tries everywhere (Bastien Guillemin and Semesa Rokoduguni for USM, Issam Hamel and Quentin Beaudaux for USN). Grenoble, for its part, won 19-15 to the detriment of Béziers, scoring only one try, by Romain Trouilloud, but that was enough (test by Gabin Lorre and sensitivity on the Biterrois side). Finally, the promoted Soyaux-Angoulême replaced his championship better than his counterpart Massy, as he won 31-30 against Vannes, after a spectacular match. The Bretons led 7-13 at the break thanks to a try from Maxime Lafage against a try from Mathis Lafon. But the Charentais came back thanks to Maxime Laforgue (14-13) before Gwenaël Duplenne, author of a double, allowed Vannes to take off (14-27). However, the promoted did not give up and scored two new tries, in the 63rd by Patxi Bidart and in the 79th by Pierre Laffitte, to clinch his first victory of the season.
PRO D2 / 1ST DAY
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Biarritz – Oyonnax: 18-14
Friday, August 26, 2022
Soyaux-Angouleme – Valves: 31-30
Colomiers – Carcassonne: 24-6
Mont de Marsan – Aurillac: 40-18
Grenoble – Beziers: 19-15
Massy- Rouen : 26-40
Montauban – Nevers: 29-20
Provence- Agen : 17-19