Sending off proves costly as brave defence runs out of gas against Perigord rivals Perigueux

Le Bugue 13 Perigueux 19: Le Bugue missed an opportunity to edge closer to the play-offs and earn local bragging rights by losing 19-13 to neighbours Perigueux in Bergerac.

The Perigord derby, moved from Le Bugue's own ground to the larger Stade Gaston-Simounet, was played in ice-cold wind, although despite having the breeze behind them and a dominant pack, Perigueux only had an early Sylvain André drop goal to show for it at half time.

André missed three further attempts while opposite number Tom Marks took his chance from 22 metres and as the teams prepared to turn round three points apiece, Le Bugue would have been happier than the profligate visitors, until Algerian lock Boumédienne Allam received a second yellow card a minute before the break, and left les Chevalliers facing 40 minutes with a man fewer than their rivals.

The deficit didn't stop them taking the lead on 45 minutes, No.8 Amédée Domenech intercepting a pass from scrum-half Guillaume Brouqui and narrowly evading a last-ditch tackle to score. Marks converted, and totally against the run of play, Le Bugue led 10-3.

Perigueux's André finally found his form, kicking penalties on 46 and 57 minutes to make it 10-9, but although the visitors launched attack after attack, Le Bugue's defence held firm.

It was the visitors' fresh legs that made the difference, and as Le Bugue's heroic defence tired, winger Morgan Souply's poor clearance kick fell into the hands of opposite number Florian Xiffre inside the hosts 22, leaving Xiffre with little to do but race in and ground the ball for a 14-10 lead, converted to 16-10 by Cyril Duroueix.

Duroueix made it 19-10 with three minutes to go, but with Le Bugue captain Francois Bourgeois determined to get at least a point from the game, they won a penalty two minutes into injury which Marks duly slotted for the bonus point.

So after last week's loss to Tyrosse it's another brave defeat for les Chevalliers d'Albuga, who will be frankly sick of that phrase as they lie nine points shy of the play-off zone. There's a month's break now before they return to action knowing that even four wins from four may not be good enough to avoid a real dogfight in the play-downs.

Second string: Le Bugue B vs Perigueux B postponed

Also in Pool 6: Oloron 12 Langon 9; Graulhet 14 Tyrosse 19; Vallée du Girou 0 Lourdes 6

Next up: Le Bugue vs Vallée du Girou, Stade Renaud-Cruveiller, Sunday 10 January 2010. Les Chevalliers need four wins from their last four matches to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs, and they should get one of them at home to the Pool's whipping boys from Vallée du Girou. Yes, we know they beat our garcons 21-19 with a last-minute, 50-metre penalty back in October, but even then Le Bugue picked up two bonus points, scoring three tries to none.

Those three tries are still one more than Vallée have managed all season, and since that match they've lost six in a row, including thrashings at the hands of Langon, Perigueux and Tyrosse. Most of their points have come from the boot of fly-half Thomas Bonne, and they'll need plenty of Bonne chance if they're going to avoid defeat at Stade Cruveiller.

The news Fed-lines: Carcassonne's 100 per cent record - the last in Federale 1 - fell at the unlikely hurdle of Chambery. The hosts, lying seventh in Pool 4 before the match, scored an early interception try through Le Rugby favourite and late-morning snack gourmet Baptiste Bruncher. Three tries in nine minutes for the visitors, including one for Le Rugby favourite (hey, we're not fussy) Mathieu Cidre, appeared to point to a tenth win for le Cité, but Chambery full back Frédéric Boyadjan added three second-half penalties to his two earlier efforts and stole a famous 22-19 win for the hosts.

One-time runaway Pool 3 leaders Beziers lost for a third time, falling 22-20 at Tournefeuille. The visitors - playing at the lowest level in their prodigious history - could have forced a tie with the last kick of the game, but Georgian fly half Lasha Malaguradze failed to convert Franck Villaz's late try and Tournefeuille took the four points. No.8 Nicolas Berdja scored a first-half try for the hosts.

Nice are now neck-and-neck with Beziers on 35 points, and while one more win will put either side into the play-offs, they'll want to finish up the table to avoid the big guns. The Cote d'Azur team won 38-13 at Bedarrides.

In Pool 6, Tyrosse and Perigueux are virtually in the play-offs, but just two points separates the four teams below them. Lourdes stayed in the hunt with a 6-0 win at Vallée du Girou, Benoit Caussade kicking a penalty in each half and Girou kickers Bonne and Gael Arandiga missing four kicks between them. Oloron leapfrogged Langon into the vital fourth spot in another kicking contest between the two, Oloron emerging 12-9 winners.

Finally, this week's Epernay-watch travelled to Lille, where the league's worst team conceded five tries in their 5-37 defeat. They are still stuck on just the two points, which they will of course carry over to the play-downs, if they'll be bothered to turn up, that is.

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Fédérale 1 Pool 6 table: