Our Federale 1 favourites Grasse made the perfect start to life in the semi-pro top flight at Lavaur. Just a shame they couldn't maintain it for the full 80 minutes...

Lavaur 24 Grasse 15: Grasse came away from their opening Federale 1 match at Lavaur disappointed not to have picked up a bonus point but perhaps optimistic that they can hold their own in France's third tier.

In a typically tight early-season fixture, our Fed1 favourites made the best start possible, fly-half Arnaud Schneider slotting over a drop goal in the first minute and scrum-half Bertrand Lombarteix doubling the score with a fifth-minute penalty. Lavaur fly-half Cyril Duroueix struck back with two penalties on his first competitive match since joining from Perigueux, but Lombarteix added two more penalties before half-time to give Grasse a 12-6 interval lead. It was deserved - Grasse had most of the posession and territory in the first period, but a lack of composure was to cost them dear later on.

Lavaur had the wind at their backs in the second half, but another exchange of penalties meant ROG still held a six-point lead going into the final quarter. But the visitors' indiscipline let them down severely in the last 20 minutes, Duroueix kicking four penalties and a drop goal to deny Grasse not just the lead but also a losing bonus point.

Before the game, captain Damien Vacher said that the status of pool underdogs could only help Grasse's confident squad as they step up from Federale 2.

"There's a big differece between Federale 2 and Federale 1. The players are better prepared physically. For us, it's a test of where we are. We're going into the unknown but without pressure," Vacher told local paper Nice Matin.

"We're not begrudging the hard work. The squad is healthy, the atmosphere is superb and I'm optimistic for the season. It's often the mindset that makes the difference in the end.

"Everybody else sees us going down, and that's fine - it gives us some extra motiviation on top of being the Tom Thumb of the group."

Second string: Lavaur B 25 Grasse B 3. Not a bad result in the curtan raiser considering Grasse only had 18 men available.

Also in Pool 2: Chateaurenard 16 Beziers 30, Romans 23 La Seyne 11, Nice 19 Graulhet 12, Valence d'Agen 24 Aubenas 22, Montauban 9 Blagnac 14

Next up: Grasse vs Valence d'Agen, Stade Perdigon, Sunday 19 September. The 5000-strong commune of Valence d'Agen has long punched above its weight in rugby terms, regularly reaching the Federale 1 play-offs and in 2007/08 coming within two games of a place in Pro D2. They were the early form team of last season, winning the first six games until their form spiralled downwards and they failed to make the final knockout rounds.

Avenir Valencien's summer recruitment drive picked up a number of experienced names, including Toulouse youth prop Clement Cartier, ex-Beziers and Montauban fly-half Anthony Tesquet and veteran centre Jean-Philippe Viard, who can list European games with Montauban and Narbonne on his CV. They've also signed Beziers flanker Damien Gateau, the cake on the icing, perhaps.

Despite the recruitment drive, Valence struggled to see off Aubenas in their opening game, a frantic finish seeing the lead change hands five times in the last 10 minutes before full back Jean-André Vernetti kicked the winning penalty four minutes into injury time.

The news Fed-lines: Federale 2 champions Blagnac made a memorable start to their Fed1 campaign with a shock win at Montauban. Stade Sapiac was hosting Top 14 rugby just four months ago, but after the hosts moved into a 9-0 lead early in the second half thanks to three Danny Gray penalties, Blagnac struck back. Krist Kopetsky, making his debut since arriving from Tarbes in the summer, kicked three penalties in eight minutes to level the scores before skipper Nejmi Kara peeled off a maul to score the winning try 15 minutes from time. Montauban will have been pleased to see 6000 people pass through the turnstiles, but they won't be coming back in such numbers unless les noirs et verts adapt to life in the lower leagues tout suite.

Beziers confirmed their status as Pool 2 favourites with a win at Chateaurenard, summer signing Andrew Mehrtens opening his account for the Mediterraneans with a late drop goal after creating the opening try for centre Jonathan Bousquet. The only blot for the 11-times French champions was the 55th minute dismissal of No.8 Benjamin Goze, but it barely effected their performance.

Five clubs picked up attacking bonus points, Massy doing so despite only edging Macon 22-18, Florent Maleville's 73rd minute try picking up all five points in one fell swoop. Bourg-en-Bresse scored five tries in beating Suresnes 41-3, Perigueux top the try-scoring charts with seven in their 52-16 win over Saint-Junien and both Vannes and Castanet just sneaking across the bonus point line with a 21-6 win over Tours and a 25-3 defeat of Figeac respectively.

Finally Tyrosse laid down an early marker in Pool 4 with a 33-14 victory over Lannemezan, relegated from Pro D2 in May.

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

Fédérale 1 Pool 2 table: