They wasted chances and saw the visitors nick a valuable bonus at the end, but a win's a win for our Federale 1 favourites Le Bugue

Le Bugue 17 Oloron 12: We're a greedy lot at Le Rugby Towers. Last week we would have given our left-hand menu for any win for our Federale 1 favourites Le Bugue, but we can't help but feel a little disappointed with their latest victory.

Yes they've moved up to sixth place and have now won four of the last six games - play-off form if it hadn't taken them seven games to get off the mark in the first place. But the chances they missed and Oloron's last-minute bonus point could prove crucial in the final reckoning.

But Buguers can't be choosers, and the win does keep alive les Chevaliers' hopes of reaching the top four and the Trophée Jean-Prat. With the visitors four places above les Bugueois at the start of the day, the first half went according to type and two Nicolas Picabea penalties put Oloron 6-0 by the end of the first quarter.

Nerves stopped Le Bugue from unleashing their dangerous backs in the first half, but they piled on enough pressure late in the half for Tom Marks to tie the scores with two penalties before the interval, only for Picabea to edge Oloron ahead with the last kick of the half.

Some half-time changes in the pack - notably the arrival of Jilali Aib in the second row and Nicolas Neisen on the flank - strengthened Le Bugue's lineout and gave them an attacking platform. Oloron's defence broke on 53 minutes with full back Charly Platek scoring his second try of the season.

But although Le Bugue's backs were on top against an increasingly disorganised Oloron (whose back line must have forgotten what a rugby ball looks like) three other try chances went begging thanks to a combination of bad luck and the wet conditions.

Platek steadied the nerves eight minutes from time with a penalty to make it 17-9, but at the death Picabea's fourth penalty earned Oloron a bonus point. And it could be costly for les Chevalliers - a win for them in their final game at home to Graulhet would end Le Bugue's play-off hopes for the season.

Second string: Le Bugue B 10 Oloron B 20

Also in Pool 6: Perigueux 28 Lourdes 3; Tyrosse 21 Langon 0; Graulhet 40 Vallée du Girou 8.

Perigueux join Tyrosse in the play-offs, but the other two places are up for grabs. Graulhet are in the box seat, but face tricky trips to Perigueux and Oloron before the season's out, with their meeting with Oloron looking like a winner-takes-all encounter for one of the slots. Fifth-placed Langon are best positioned to take the other place, as they welcome Lourdes and then Perigueux to Stade de Comberlin, but while beating out-of-form Lourdes should be a formality, Perigueux are no pushovers. A slip-up could open the way for Le Bugue - who should see off Vallée du Girou next week - to reach the play-offs with a miracle win at Lourdes.

Next up: Le Bugue vs Vallée du Girou, Stade Renaud-Cruveiller, Sunday 31 January. This match was put back three weeks after the cold snap wiped out week 11, since when the two teams' fortunes have been very different, with Le Bugue picking up two wins and Vallée losing both their outings.

Vallée have conceded 100 points on their last two away trips, and we're backing les Chevalliers to pick up a vital bonus point on Sunday. They even picked one up while losing 21-19 in October, scoring three tries to none but falling to a last-minute, 50-metre penalty from Pierre Delpech.

Those three tries are only one fewer than Vallée have managed all season, and the win remains their last victory having lost eight six in a row since, including thrashings at the hands of Langon, Perigueux, Tyrosse and Graulhet. 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: The play-offs positions are filling up nicely across Federale 1's six pools. Limoges are up from Pool 1 after a 19-6 win at Bobigny, who themselves slipped out of the top four on points with Orleans, 26-3 winners at Poitiers. Bobigny welcome Orleans this weekend in a match that should confirm a play-off place for one of the two, as should the 2nd vs 3rd battle between Saint-Nazaire and Vannes.

Bourg-en-Bresse and Chalon-sur-Saone are slugging it out for the Pool 2 title and meet at Chalon on Sunday, with Massy likely to join them and put Montlucon through by beating fifth-placed Lille. Epernay, 51-3 losers at eight-try Massy this weekend, sit bottom of the 48-team division.

Beziers and Nice are already through from Pool 3, with games in hand likely to decide the other two places. Third-placed Chateaurenard look home and dry, especially if fourth-placed Saint-Etienne beat fifth-placed Romans this weekend.

In Pool 4, Carcassonne are still the only confirmed play-offees, with only five points separating second-places Marseille-Vitrolles and fifth-placed Castanet. Sixth-placed Chambery kept their slim hopes alive with a 20-15 win over third-placed Aubenas, but come up against a determined Castanet, who saw off Mazamet to the tune of 58-12 on the weekend. And they weren't even their own pool's top top scorers, as Carcasonne scored eight in their 56-10 defeat of Montmelian.

Pool 5 is the most open of all, with only eighth-placed Morlaas out of the running despite their 18-11 victory over Mauleon on the weekend. Valence d'Agen and Marmande are through, but it's perm two from five as Cahors, Lavaur, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Orthez are split by just four points and Mauleon hope against hope three points further adrift.

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

Fédérale 1 Pool 6 table: