Vannes take 40 minutes to shake off the Christmas cobwebs but eventually overcome stubborn newcomers

Vannes 18 Hagetmau 11: Vannes picked up their fifth win in a row but left it late to see off promoted Hagetmau, flanker Juan Martin Soffredini scoring the winning try just seven minutes from time.

The visitors had returned from their Christmas break early to play their postponed match at Saint-Nazaire last week, and looked the sharper side on their swift return to the north-west as full back Julien Langlade opened the scoring with a penalty after seven minutes. Eight minutes later Hagetmau went two scores up, winger Jean-Baptiste Danes chasing up a high kick from centre Mickael Ducournay to score the opening try and make it 8-0 to the visitors.

Thomas Lebarillier pulled three points back for our Federale 1 favourites on 28 minutes, and made it 6-8 two minutes into the second half with his second penalty of the afternoon. The arrival of prop Carlos Muzzio at half-time brought some solidity to the Vannes scrum, and the Argentinian tighthead gave the hosts the lead for the first time with a cheeky try on 52 minutes.

Langlade punished an over-eager Vannes scrum by levelling the scores with his second penalty on 64 minutes, but just as it seemed the match could go either way, Vannes sealed the four points with the try of the match, centre Sebastien Plouvier and No.8 Jorge Gonzalez combining to give replacement flanker Soffredini the space to charge over for the try - his second of the season.

Vannes coach Jean-Noel Spitzer breathed a sigh of relief at the final whistle. "This match is now behind us so I'm not going to moan about it, especially as it ended with a victory. But I did have doubts and concerns at half-time about our ability to reverse the momentum of the match," he admitted.

"The long winter break did us no good and returning to action at home is always difficult. They embarassed us in midfield but in the end I think we deserved the win."

Second string: Vannes 27 Hagetmau 3

Also in Pool 3: Saint-Medard 12 Langon 15, Saint-Junien 20 Lavaur 14, Saint-Jean-de-Luz 26 Saint-Nazaire 22, Morlaas 6 Colomiers 9

Next up: Lavaur vs Vannes, Sunday January 22, Stade de Clauzades, Lavaur.

The long trip to Lavaur - a full 730km, tachograph-watchers - marks the start of three testing weeks for Vannes in which they face the three other teams currently sharing the play-off places with them. Fourth-placed Lavaur are first up, and will be looking to avenge the 23-11 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Bretons in Week 2.

After so-so early-season form the team from the Tarn valley put a succession of wins together before faltering away to bottom side Saint-Junien last weekend. Their most impressive result was a 28-22 win at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a victory that keeps them ahead of the Basques in fourth, although they do also have a game in hand. They remain unbeaten at home this season, although did have flanker Pascal Mazas to thank for a 79th minute try to force a draw in their match with fellow top-four side Langon.

Les Lavauriens are averaging a try a game at the moment, with the boots of twin kickers Cedric Jalabert and Julien Lauvernet doing most of the damage with more than 120 points between them.

Outside-half Jalabert came up through the ranks at Stade de Clauzades, as did Ntamack brothers Emile and Francis, who both went on to represent France.

Should our Breton heroes want to take in some culture before boarding the bus home, they could do worse than visit the spot where Dame Giraude de Laurac, the Lady of Lavaur, was thrown down a well and stoned to death during the Albigensian conflicts on 1211. Gifts for elle dedans are in plentiful supply too, with the town boasting distilling and flour-milling trades as well as the manufacture of brushes, plaster and wooden shoes.

The news Fed-lines: We've said it before, but Federale 1's Pool 3 is the tightest group in the division, and thanks to an idle moment with a calculator we've got the figures to back it up - out of the 47 possible bonus points available so far, losing sides have claimed 35 of them, with this weekend's five losers all finishing within seven points of their conquerors. At the other end, only two try-scoring bonus points have been won all season, both by an unbeaten Colomiers side who have found the going a little tougher of late - their 9-6 win over bottom side Morlaas came courtesy of two late Frederic Couzier penalties.

Pool 1's Lille have only lost one match themeselves, but needed a 67th minute penalty try to see of the challenge of Strasbourg by 18 points to 15. Montlucon stalled Nevers' recent recovery by an even tighter margin, former Tarbes scrum-half Anthony Bourgeois stealing a 17-15 victory win a 78th minute drop goal. And basement boys Boulogne-Billancourt chalked up their biggest score of the season - and doubled their try count to four - in their 15-45 loss to Massy in the pool's Paris derby.

Bourg-en-Bresse and Montauban continue to make the pace in Pool 2, both victorious this weekend with les Bressanes winning 29-21 over Romans and Stade Sapiac enjoying a 20-13 defeat of play-off contenders La Seyne-sur-Mer.

And while Tyrosse and Lourdes push for the play-offs in Pool 4, the fight for third and fourth is hard to call, with Valence d'Agen impressing in a five-try win over sixth placed Oloron and Blagnac closing the gap on Lourdes with a 35-28 win, Mathieu Pouey's late penalties earning the basilica boys a bonus point that keeps them in the top four on points difference.

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Fédérale 1 Pool 3 table: