Bottom-dwellers Saint-Junien prove a tough prospect but Vannes stay in second place with their fourth win in a row

Saint-Junien 12 Vannes 16: Vannes outscored their hosts by two tries to none, but had to hold off a late onslaught by bottom-of-the-table Saint-Junien to claim their fourth Federale 1 win in a row.

A try at the end of each half was good enough for our Fed1 favourites, teenage winger Gwenael Duplenne scoring the third try of his superb debut season two minutes before the interval. Until that point the sides were level, Vannes' Thomas Lebarillier and Saint-Junien's Merab Kvirikashvili kicking two penalties each before Duplenne's interception try made it 11-6 at half time.

Georgian international Kvirikashvili had hit the post with a third kick, but made amends after the restart with two penalties to put the hosts 12-11 up. Crucial, between the two penalties, Vannes coach Jean-Noël Spitzer had brought on the experienced trio of full back Steeve Sargos and front-rowers Mikael Garcia and Regis Loubery. Ivorian full back Sargos reorganised the defence and with the scrum anchored, the visitors regained the upper hand and with 12 minutes to go prop Garcia was the last up with ball in hand when the Breton pack bundled over for the winning try.

Vannes did have to soak up pressure - losing scrums and line-outs yet keeping their lines intact - before they could celebrate their third away win of the year, but the victory consolidated third place in Pool 3 and les Vannetais could head into the month-long winter break confident of a job half-done.

Second string: Saint-Junien 15 Vannes 11

Also in Pool 3: Saint-Jean-de-Luz 3 Colomiers 9, Morlaas 18 Langon 22, Saint-Nazaire 12 Hagetmau 16 (played 8/1/12), Saint-Medard vs Lavaur postponed

Next up: Vannes vs Hagetmau, Sunday January 15, Stade Jo Courtel, Vannes.

The new year sees the start of the 'retour' part of the season, as week 1's fixtures - played back in September - get reversed. That gives Vannes a chance of revenge over Hagetmau, who beat the Bretons 19-16 on the opening afternoon and who, after a run of four defeats, have recently found their Fed1 feet and even climbed into the top half of Pool 3.

Hagetmau were the only promoted side in the pool, have held their own in the highly competitive section, winning four of their first nine matches, earning a losing bonus point in all but two of their defeats and picking up an impressive away win at Saint-Nazaire in their rescheduled clash last weekend. They also ran runaway leaders Colomiers closer than anyone, former Top 14 centre Florian Nicot's late try saving the Toulouse club from home defeat back in December; Hagetmau lost 23-24 that day.

That early return to action could pay dividends too, as Vannes shake off the cobwebs of the Christmas break ahead of six matches in six weeks.

Hagetmau - based in the Landes area that is home to Pro D2 clubs Dax and Mont-de-Marsan - are far from flamboyent, their young team only managing seven tries in their nine games, and their big weapon is the reliable boot of veteran full back Julien Langlade, who has already scored 107 points in the first half of the season including a crucial late penalty that beat Saint-Junien 20-19 in week 8. Other names to look out for at Stade Courtel this weekend include young wingers Jean-Baptiste Danes and Hugo Dubosq, and Spanish international outside-half Andoni Jorajuria.

The news Fed-lines: As well as Vannes' win at Saint-Junien, Colomiers and Langon picked up narrow away wins in Pool 3. The pool also saw two cancellations due to bad weather along the west coast, as did Pool 4, where Lourdes and Valence d'Agen were denied the opportunity to make up ground on the losers of the table-topping clash between Tyrosse and Limoges. In the end it was Tyrosse who took advantage, picking up a bonus point in their 31-13 victory to leapfrog Limoges at the top of the table.

There was a first vs second showdown in Pool 1 too, Lille winning a tense match 6-3 against the Parisians of Massy despite having to play 20 minutes with only 14 men. The northerners are eight points clear at the top of the pool now, and along with Colomiers already worth backing to top their respective groups. Massy look strong in second, but otherwise it's a tricky pool to call, with Montlucon, Nevers, Macon, Dijon and Bobigny all vying for the two other play-off spots. And down at the bottom Boulogne-Billancourt remain pointless after a 55-3 defeat at the hands of fellow drop-zoners Orleans.

Pool 2 saw the only completed programme of the last pre-Christmas weekend, and the biggest score of the season as Nice beat Marseille 94-0. The Cote d'Azur club ran in 14 tries, including hat-tricks for Leal and Malavard, against the cash-strapped Phocéens who are still forced to field youth players. Bourg-en-Bresse consolidated their position at the top with a 28-9 win over second-placed Montauban, while Castanet closed the gap on third-placed La Seyne-sur-Mer with a 19-9 victory over their rivals.

You can find all the latest Federale 1 results at ItsRugby.fr

Fédérale 1 Pool 3 table: