Pro D2 Notebook: Provence take control, Brive bounce back and Montauban’s away-day problem deepens
TRU favourite Johnny Matthews will be hoping Montauban can solve their away-day conundrum when the season resumes later this month.
©USM Sapiac
Provence march on unbeaten, Brive are resurgent and Grenoble have promotion in their sights.
But for Johnny Matthews and Montauban, the contrast between performances at Sapiac and on the road is becoming increasingly difficult to explain.
Two weeks ago, we were wondering whether Oyonnax and Provence were beginning to turn Pro D2 into a two-team promotion race.
We also asked whether Montauban, having beaten both Brive and Oyonnax at Sapiac, could finally reproduce those performances away from home.
Ten rounds into the season, we have some answers.
Provence have taken control of the table, Brive have recovered from three consecutive defeats, and Grenoble remain firmly in contention.
But Montauban? Their latest away performance has raised considerably more questions than answers.
And at the bottom, Nevers are still looking for their first victory.
Welcome to another fortnight of Pro D2.
Provence: The benchmark after 10 rounds
Last Friday evening brought together the competition’s leading two sides. Provence (1st) hosted Oyonnax (2nd) in a fixture that offered an opportunity to establish genuine authority over the promotion race.
And Provence took it.
Their 32-23 victory included four tries and an attacking bonus point, moving them three points clear at the top.
Nine victories and a draw from 10 matches. Still unbeaten.
What made the result particularly interesting was how the contest developed.
Oyonnax led 23-20 with 14 minutes remaining after Alex Newsome crossed for their only try, but Provence responded through replacement scrum-half Arthur Coville before Baptiste Lenoir secured the bonus point with a late fourth try.
It was another demonstration of the quality we have highlighted throughout our Notebooks.
Provence keep finding ways to win.
Their previous match, a 16-16 draw at Dax, had ended their perfect winning sequence but preserved their unbeaten run against a side with an excellent home record. Against Oyonnax, they demonstrated something else.
The ability to respond when one of their principal promotion rivals threatened to take control.
The statistics are revealing.
Oyonnax have scored 381 points in 10 matches, compared with Provence’s 324. Yet Provence lead the championship with 41 points, three ahead of Oyonnax.
We suggested several weeks ago that Oyonnax were demonstrating how convincingly they could win, while Provence were showing how consistently they could win.
That distinction remains relevant.
Provence’s victory over their closest challengers suggests that consistency is beginning to produce something more substantial.
They are establishing themselves as the team everybody else must catch.
Brive: Three defeats followed by two emphatic victories
Our previous Notebook asked whether Brive (3rd) could recover from three consecutive defeats.
The answer has been convincing.
First came a 33-12 victory at Nevers. Then, last Friday evening, Brive overwhelmed Dax 71-28. That is 104 points across two matches.
Their recovery has lifted them back into third place on 31 points, one ahead of Grenoble.
For a club that won its opening five fixtures before losing three in succession, the last fortnight has provided a timely reminder of their promotion credentials.
There is also a strong British and Irish connection.
Former Ireland scrum-half John Cooney and English back Jamie Shillcock are among the experienced players available to Brive, while former Premiership prop Christian Judge adds further experience.
And we continue to monitor young second-row Noah Brown.
The 19-year-old, standing 6ft 9in, moved to France after opportunities in the English academy system failed to materialise.
Eligible for both England and South Africa, Brown is developing through Brive’s Espoirs programme rather than having established himself in the Pro D2 first team.
For TRU, his progress remains worth following.
Could French professional rugby provide an alternative pathway for young British-qualified players? It is a question we intend to revisit.
Montauban: The extraordinary contrast continues
Perhaps the most intriguing story of the season concerns Montauban (7th).
At Sapiac, they have beaten Grenoble, Brive and Oyonnax. Their latest home victory, 33-25 against Narbonne in Round Nine, maintained their perfect record.
Six victories from 10 matches is a respectable return for a club relegated from the Top 14.
Yet their points difference is minus 78, and last Friday evening demonstrated exactly why.
Aurillac 60, Montauban 8. A 52-point defeat.
It was Montauban’s fourth defeat in five away fixtures, and their heaviest of the campaign.
They have conceded 325 points in 10 matches. For a team sitting seventh, just outside the play-off positions, that is an extraordinary statistic.
The issue is not that Montauban cannot compete with strong opponents. They have demonstrated repeatedly that they can.
The issue is that they appear unable to reproduce their home performances when they leave Sapiac.
That creates a fascinating dilemma.
A team capable of beating the promotion favourites at home ought to have genuine ambitions of reaching the play-offs. But can a side conceding points so freely away from home realistically sustain a promotion challenge?
For TRU, there is another reason to follow their progress. Johnny Matthews.
The former Sedgley Park Tigers hooker has become a regular member of Montauban’s starting side, and his journey through National League Rugby, Glasgow and international rugby with Scotland remains a story we have followed closely.
Our archive includes photographs of Matthews packing down alongside Max Ashcroft at Sedgley, where the pair played together after signing for the club at the same time.
Matthews scored tries in remarkable numbers in National Two North and has already demonstrated that instinct in France.
But the next chapter of his Montauban career is about more than individual tries.
Can Montauban develop the consistency required to turn impressive home performances into a genuine promotion campaign?
Their next match, at home against Agen on 20 November, provides another opportunity to reinforce their formidable Sapiac record.
The more important test may come when they next travel to league leaders Provence at the end of the month.
Grenoble and Soyaux-Angoulême remain in contention
Grenoble (4th) have been one of the most encouraging stories of October.
After a difficult opening three rounds, they put together six consecutive victories, including an impressive success at Brive in Round Seven.
Their latest outing, however, ended in a 30-24 defeat at Soyaux-Angoulême (5th). Grenoble remain fourth on 30 points, just one behind Brive.
For TRU, Welsh international Sam Davies continues to provide a particularly interesting connection.
After a prolonged injury absence, Davies has returned to contribute to Grenoble’s promotion challenge.
His experience with the Ospreys, Dragons and Wales makes his recovery and subsequent performances in France a story worth following.
And Grenoble’s next fixture could hardly be more interesting.
On Thursday 19 November, they welcome unbeaten Provence. Can Davies and his teammates become the first side to defeat the league leaders?
Meanwhile, Soyaux-Angoulême continue to justify the attention we gave them earlier in the campaign.
Their victory over Grenoble lifted them to fifth place with 26 points.
Aurillac (6th) are level on points in sixth after their demolition of Montauban.
Both clubs are demonstrating that the battle for the play-off places extends well beyond the established promotion favourites.
Nevers: 10 matches, 10 defeats
We have followed Nevers (16th) since September.
Initially, their narrow defeats suggested a side suffering from poor fortune rather than a fundamental lack of competitiveness.
That argument is becoming impossible to sustain. Their latest two matches produced defeats against Brive (33-12) and Valence-Romans (46-12).
Ten matches. 10 defeats. Four league points. Bottom of Pro D2.
They have conceded 342 points and possess a points difference of minus 156.
Immediately above them are Béziers (15th), who have won only twice and have a points difference of minus 180.
Their latest defeat, 53-19 at Colomiers last Friday, was another damaging result.
There are still 20 rounds remaining, but the relegation picture is becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
The bottom club faces direct relegation to Nationale, while the team finishing 15th must contest an access match against the losing Nationale finalist.
Nevers have already fallen six points behind Béziers.
And with other clubs beginning to collect victories, the gap to safety threatens to grow.
Round 11: Three questions worth answering
The competition takes a short break before returning on Thursday 19 November.
And the fixture list has provided another fascinating set of questions.
First, Grenoble host Provence. Can the improving home side end the unbeaten record of the competition’s leaders?
Then, on Friday evening, Oyonnax welcome Brive. Second against third.
One club looking to recover from defeat against Provence, the other attempting to demonstrate that its recent revival is sustainable.
And Montauban host Agen. Will Sapiac once again provide the platform for another victory, or are the consequences of those heavy away defeats beginning to undermine Montauban’s season?
Elsewhere, Nevers face Soyaux-Angoulême, while Béziers welcome Dax.
We began October with three unbeaten promotion favourites. We entered November with two. Now only Provence remain unbeaten.
Brive have recovered, Grenoble are still challenging, and the chasing pack remains competitive.
But perhaps the most intriguing question concerns Montauban. How can a team capable of beating the best in Pro D2 be so vulnerable away from home?
Ten rounds into the season, that may be one of the competition’s most revealing stories.
And it is certainly one we intend to keep following.
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