Cash-strapped Albi hammer Dax to rise to the top of Pro D2, with Lyon overcoming battling Carcassonne to stay hard on their worn-down heels

Dax 13 Albi 28, Carcassonne 19 Lyon 21, Colomiers 16 Mont-de-Marsan 12, Pau 22 Auch 16, Saint-Etienne 7 Oyonnax 47, Aix-en-Provence 18 Narbonne 11, Tarbes 25 Grenoble 19, Union Bordeaux-Begles 22 Aurillac 15 - See the latest league table

Dax 13 Albi 28

Cash-strapped Albi leapt to the top of Pro D2 with an impressive win at the home of promotion candidates Dax. The hosts, who now occupy a relegation place at the other end of the table, took an early lead through Mikaera Tewhata, the former Bayonne lock scoring his first try in five seasons after just eight minutes. Richard Apanui converted, but Albi utility back Geoffrey Palis gave the visitors the lead with a try on 28 minutes and penalty four minutes later.

Apanui gave Dax a half-time lead with his first penalty, but a penalty and drop goal for Albi veteran Frederic Manca gave the visitors the lead before they opened up in the last quarter, centre Baptiste Hecker and winger Dave Vainqueur touching down for a convincing victory.

Albi's pre-season troubles included a forced slashing of wage bills and the last-minute ratification of key players' contracts, so to sit in the automatic promotion spot (albeit early on in the season) is beyond their wildest dreams. Dax's new coaching team led by Olivier Roumat, on the other hand, hope they can pull the talented team together before the season is much older.

Carcassonne 19 Lyon 21

Loaded Lyon are still favourites to climb into the top flight, but while they have won both their games so far, the victories over expected relegation candidates Aix and Carcassonne have been far from convincing.

Promoted Carcassonne pushed them all the way on Saturday, only the boot of full back Pierre Yves-Montagnat sealing four points for the easterners with seven successful penalty kicks. Cedric Rosalen kicked three first-half penalties for the Cité club and converted Felix le Bourhis's 15th minute try, the centre's second in two games since arriving from Montauban.

Rosalen's fourth penalty 15 minutes from time gave Carcassonne the lead, but hopes of an incredible home Pro D2 debut for Christian Labit's men were dashed by Montagnat's seventh goal 10 minutes from the end.

Colomiers 16 Mont-de-Marsan 12

Colomiers and Pau are the only other clubs with 100% records after just two rounds of games. In a tight game at Stade Bendichou, hooker Sebastien Bortolucci scored the only try just before half-time, breaking the six-all deadlock after Frederic Couzier and Benat Arrayet had kicked two penalties apiece.

Maxime Bats had replaced the injured Arrayet on the half-hour, and his two penalties after the break pulled Stade Montois back to within a point, but when Mont-de-Marsan scrum-half Julien Cabannes was yellow carded a minute from time, Hugo Hernandez's penalty put the match beyond doubt.

Pau 22 Auch 16

Pau ground out a win over Auch courtesy of tries by Fijian winger Akuila Nawerecagi and centre Gergory Puyo, but they didn't have it all their own way as Pierre-Alexandre Dut's boot gave the visitors a 9-8 half-time lead and his conversion of flanker Mathieu de Pauw's second-half try levelled the scores at 16-all going into the final quarter.

Clement Darbo saved Pau's jambon with two penalties in that last 20 minutes, but their two home wins have been far from comfortable and they now face two road trips to Colomiers and Aurillac before they return to Stade Hameau in week 5.

Saint-Etienne 7 Oyonnax 47

Six tries and a bonus point took Oyonnax up to fifth place as they won the first of 12 East France derbies that Pro D2 watchers can expect over the coming season.

Full-back Jonathan Bousquet even enjoyed a full house of scores, his 45th minute try completing the set along with a penalty, drop goal and four conversions. Flanker Fabien Laurent opened the floodgates with a try on eight minutes and Tongan lock Uamano Fono claimed the second to give Oyonnax a 23-7 interval lead, the hosts' Portugese scrum-half Fabio da Silva scoring his side's only try on 16 minutes, Alexandre Peclier converting.

Bousquet's try continued the rout, with scrum-half Arnaud Pic bagging his second of the season before ex-Montauban winger Jean-Emmanuel Cassin and kiwi centre Roimata Hansell-Pune (on his Oyonnax debut) added tries six and seven in the final minutes.

Aix-en-Provence 18 Narbonne 11

Aix gained their first win of the season at home to Narbonne, but it was the visitors who scored the only try through Fijian flanker Jone Tawake's 26th minute effort. That try made it 12-11 to Aix after Antoine Lescalmel (3) and Danie de Beer (1) had kicked four penalties for the hosts, Christopher Ruiz kicking two for Narbonne.

That was it for the visitors, who couldn't take advantage of the extra man when lock Gwendal Ollivier was shown the yellow card on 51 minutes, and who later had to play out 10 minutes short of a winger when Fijian Sionasa Vunisa paid a visit to the sinbin.

Lescalmel punished Vunisa's transgression with his fifth penalty of the afternoon and Aix's sixth. Narbonne picked up a bonus point but will have wanted a win if they are to finish anywhere near the play-off places. Aix will find the four points valuable in what already looks like being a highly open relegation battle.

Tarbes 25 Grenoble 19

Grenoble, with no wins from two, are temporarily in that dogfight, while Tarbes, narrow losers at Narbonne in week 1, can only be looking at a strong season thanks to the arrival of metronomic kicker Fabien Fortassin. The former Racing-Metro fly-half kicked five first-half penalties to Stewart Blair's brace to give the hosts a 15-6 interval lead, but a third Blair penalty after the break and journeyman flanker Franck Marechal's first try in five seasons edged Grenoble into a one-point lead.

Tarbes responded with a try of their own through scrum-half Thierry Lacrampe, Anthony Bourgeois converting for a 22-16 lead. Bourgeois put Tarbes out of reach with his second penalty, but a late Rory Teague goal earned a bonus point for Grenoble, the least they could expect from a match in which their biggest problem was their discipline; the loss of first Alexis Driollet and then Wylie Human for 10 minutes in each half didn't do them any favours.

Union Bordeaux-Begles 22 Aurillac 15

Aurillac too will be rueing their indiscipline as centres Dan Baleinadogo and Arno Coetzee both took up residence in the Stade Moga sinbin during a tight first half which saw Fraser Gerard and Maxime Petitjean finish level in a kicking contest for a 9-9 half-time score.

L'Union weren't without blame, and their Romanian prop Silviu Florea was also off the pitch when Tongan winger Vungakoto Lilo scored the only try of the match a minute into the second half. The former Bristol man scored five tries last season, but les Bordelais will need more than that if they're going to pose a challenge for a play-off place.

Lilo's try made the difference as Gerard's replacement Camille Lopez took over kicking duties, slotting over two penalties after the break, Petitjean twice pulling the deficit back to seven points to send Aurillac home with a bonus.