TOULOUSE came close to pulling off the surprise of the weekend as they were holding reigning champions Albi to 6-6 on their own ground, only to go down to a Baptiste Fabre field-goal on the hooter.
It’s a sign of how much progress the reserves side have made this season that theywere equal to all that Albi threw at them.
The Tigers had ex-Catalans winger Fouad Yaha on debut, playing in the unaccustomed role of centre, alongside another winger moved inside, Nittim Pedrero.
With Clément Tailhades suspended and Brad Wall still not back from injury, Albi’s attacking options looked limited.
They held a slender 6-0 lead from when hooker Thibault Corrèges went between the posts towards the end of the first half, Fabre converting.
The score remained static throughout thesecond half until, six minutes from full-time,Toulouse’s Stéphane Guillon went over from the ruck for a try converted by Lucas Hangard.
In the difficult conditions, Toulouse forward Pierre-Jean Lima slipped while attempting a tackle on Fabre which the referee judged high and pulled out a yellow card.
Fabre missed the straightforward penalty-goal attempt but made amends just moments later with the much more difficult one-pointer for a slender 7-6 win which spared Albi’s blushes.
Pia kept the pressure on the leading pack with a 19-18 win at Avignon, who need to find consistent form if they are to keep pace with the leaders.
Much-travelled fullback Hakim Miloudi snatched the win with a late field-goal and was in masterful form throughout, setting up winger Kelyan Giroud for a try in the opening minutes.
With Adrien Saliès’ conversion and then penalty-goal, the visitors went 8-0 up, but the home side struck back when loose-forward Ayoub Mezyani touched down twice in quick succession before Giroud claimed his second for a 12-12 half-time score.
Avignon winger Corentin Rey seized the lead when profiting from a high kick but it was Pia’s Miloudi who dominated the second-half scoring, landing a penalty-goal and then crossing for the try which levelled things once again before delivering the winning point.
Limoux also kept in touch with the top two with a 38-22 triurph at Lézignan.
The game was not as finely balanced as the score suggests. Early in the second half Maxime Grésèque’s side led 20-6. Twenty minutes later they had the match wrapped up when they led 34-12.
It was a typical derby, characterised by several sinbinnings. with Lézignan appearing the worse affected.
A heroic effort by eleven-man Villefranche saw the home side hold on for a 12-10 victory over Villeneuve after having two players sent off in the same incident after only 15 minutes’ play. An all-in brawl ended with Villefranche’s Jack Glossop and Shann Brugel being red carded.
It was a scrappy game, not helped by a generous sprinkling of penalties and two further yellow cards to each side.
For Villefranche, Dredin Sorensen and Louis Tranier were the try-scorers, Morgan Andral kicking two goals, while for Vlilleneuve, Farid Nicolas and Jack Aiken touched down, Thomas Lasvenes notching one goal.
St Estève-Xll Catalan got the better of St Gaudens, winning 26-18 after stepping up in the second half after going in at 6-6 at the break. St Gaudens remain winless after eight matches.
Results
Albi 7 Toulouse 6
Avignon 18 Pia 19
Lézignan 22 Limoux 38
St Gaudens 18 St Estève-XIll Catalan 26
Villefranche 12 Villeneuve 10
Bye: Carcassonne
Fixtures
Saturday 13 December
Carcassonne v Avignon
Villeneuve v Limoux
Sunday 14 December
St Estève-XIll Catalan v Pia
St Gaudens v Villefranche
Toulouse v Lézignən
Bye: Albi
Table
Carcassonne 22 pts
Albi 21 pts
Limoux 20 pts
Avignon 19 pts
Pia 16 pts
Lézignan 14 pts
Toulouse 12 pts
St-Estève-XIII Catalan 12 pts
Villeneuve 8 pts
Villefranche 8 pts
St Gaudens 6 pts