2 days ago
Top 14: Grenoble slump to third promotion-relegation play-off in a row against gamely Perpignan
Cruelty, thy name is 'Top 14 Access Match'. ProD2 side Grenoble have now hosted — and lost — the last three of these annual winner-takes-all promotion-relegation play-offs against the side that finished 13th in the Top 14, each one coming a week after they lost the ProD2 final.
They may have had home advantage on the day, but all the other positives were in favour of opponents Perpignan.
Grenoble — leaders at the end of the regular season and strong favourites for promotion — were going back to a depleted well one more time after a numbing defeat against surprise champions Montauban.
The Catalans had been plotting their route to Top 14 survival via this match for several weeks — and had a morale-boosting victory over Toulouse on the final night of the regular season to lean on for belief.
Perpignan got off to the perfect start, as Tavite Veredamu opened the scoring in the third minute. Grenoble winger Wilfried Hulleu was twice correctly denied what he thought was a score by the match officials before a Thomas Lainault try and a Sam Davies penalty gave them an 8-7 lead at the break.
Allan pushed Perpignan back into the lead from the tee in the 65th minute, Romain Trouilloud responded in kind in the 75th minute — but Allan had the final word two minutes from time to take the score to 11-13 and keep the Catalans in the Top 14. Grenoble, meanwhile, return to the drawing board. Again. A rethink is long overdue.
Where the access match had been frenetic, the barrage match in the race for the Brennus between Toulon and Castres at Stade Mayol was ferocious until the visitors wilted under the constant pressure at the death.
Toulon pounded away in the first half, but only had four Melvyn Jaminet penalties to show for their efforts.
Castres were merely two points behind after Abraham Papali'i scored from a 20m tapped free kick in a move most politely described as 'direct'.
A brace of tries in two minutes for Melvyn Jaminet — finishing another mesmerising Juita Wainiqolo run — and Baptiste Serin looked to have taken the game out of reach. But Castres found an immediate way back as Jeremy Fernandez benefited from Remy Baget's break on the hour.
That was the end of their defiance, however. Quickfire scores for the departing Facundo Isa and Ben White in the closing 10 minutes settled the result, before 43-year-old Ma'a Nonu put the romantic icing on the cake with two minutes to go, and Wainiqolo scored an opportunist try from a quick tap penalty inside Toulon's own half after the hooter.
It ended 52-23. Toulon's will play Bordeaux at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon in the second semi-final next Saturday.
But that after-the-hooter exuberance may have a price, as Jaminet was helped, wincing off the pitch. They will need him fit for next week.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Max Spring scored the only try of the game as Bayonne maintained completed an unbeaten home run this season with a dominant 20-3 win over Clermont on a dark and stormy Friday night at Stade Jean Dauger to set up a semi-final against Toulouse in Lyon exactly a week later.
The conditions put paid to a free-flowing match, and the home side handled them much better, playing most of the game in Clermont's half. In truth, it was a shellacking everywhere except on the scoreboard.
