CARCASSONNE, league leaders for most of the season, suffered their first home defeat when they were outplayed 38-20 by a Pia side looking to finish in second place in the table. 

The Canaries could not even claim the defensive bonus point which would have guaranteed finishing the season in pole position for the play-offs. Instead they must ensure a favourable result next week against St Estève-XIII Catalan. Pia are at home to ninth-placed Villefranche.

In a heavy end-of-season schedule, Carcassonne left out a number of key players including Morgan Escaré and Clément Herrero. It was a sub-par performance against a Pia team who led from the start and won convincingly.

It was a fine team effort from Les Baroudeurs, with inside backs Lenny Chachoua and Adrien Saliès outstanding, particularly in creating tries for wingers Kylian Benavent and David Pena.

In Thursday’s sometimes fiery local derby, in which yellow cards came thick and fast, Carcassonne were far too strong and well-organised for Lézignan, who went down 34-20. Carcassonne had scored all their points by the 57th minute, when hooker Djibryl Dauliac went over for his second try in five minutes. Up to that point only Konrad Hurrell, Lézignan’s best player, had crossed the Canaries’ line. The FCL posted three late tries but remain in eighth place.

Albi, the current champions, should have walked away with three points from their encounter with St Estève-XIII Catalan at Stade Gilbert Brutus. In the curtain-raiser to the Dragons-Leigh game, Tony Gigot’s men led 20-6 going into the last quarter but were overtaken by a Catalan side eager to snatch the sixth play-off place. Second-rower Romain Humbert touched down from a kick from Mathis Frayssinous, son of ex-Dragons coach Laurent, and then crossed for a second, also set up by the stand-off.

Albi’s Robin Brochon went over in between. But in a sensational finish, Josh Simm, again given game time in the reserves, grabbed an interception try with five minutes to go to level the scores at 24-all before Baby Dracs full back Samy Devoyon landed the one-pointer that proved the killer blow. Albi’s bonus point seals fourth place in the table.

At Villeneuve, Toulouse opened up an 18-4 gap before the Leopards’ Lucas Vergniol and Dan Marjanovic reduced the deficit to 18-16 at half-time. But Villeneuve suffered three sin-binnings, of which Toulouse took advantage and went on to win 30-22, though with St Estève’s victory over Albi they miss out on the last play-off spot.

Bottom club St Gaudens, once again hampered by injuries, went down 50-26 to Limoux. The Grizzlies, vying with Pia for second spot, went 18-0 up after only 15 minutes as halfback Kauri Aupuri, centre William Partridge and full back Enzo Arnaud all posted tries, Arnaud ending the match with a hat-trick. 

Results
Carcassonne 20 Pia 38
St Estève-XIII Catalan 25 Albi 24
St Gaudens 26 Limoux 50 (played Friday)
Villeneuve 22 Toulouse 30 (played Friday)
Lézignan 20 Carcassonne 34 (played Thursday)

Fixtures
Friday 8 May
Toulouse v Limoux 17:30
Sunday 10 May
Albi v Lézignan 16:00
Carcassonne v St Estève-XIII Catalan 15 :30
Pia v Villefranche 15 :30

Table
Carcassonne 52 pts
Pia 49 pts
Limoux 48 pts
Albi 39 pts
Avignon 38 pts
St Estève-XIII Catalan 33 pts
Toulouse 28 pts
Lézignan 25 pts
Villefranche 25 pts
Villeneuve 24 pts
St Gaudens 14 pts