We've let things slip on the Federale 1 front, but then so have this year's designated third-tier team, Grasse. We catch up with their latest defeat...

Grasse 23 Graulhet 33: A week that saw Grasse rise off the bottom of the table ended with them back in the basement after a poor display in this relegation eight-pointer against Graulhet.

After the French Rugby Federation had retrospectively awarded Grasse a 25-0 win over Valence d'Agen in Week 2 - les Valenciens had won 16-15 but fielded an ineligible player - the visitors had found themselves in 12th place, but wasted no time in their bid to overhaul les parfumiers. Outside-half Mathieu Gratton kicked a third minute penalty, centre Nicolas Boutié adding his second try of the season and Spanish international Gratton converting to make it 10-0 in as many minutes.

South African fly half Louis Boshoff celebrated his first start for Grasse with a try on 12 minutes, and although he missed the conversion, his 20th minute penalty pulled the hosts back to within two points.

But Graulhet - without a win all season - took control, Gratton adding two more penalties for a 16-8 half-time lead, extended to 23-8 after the break when centre Ademola Codija charged over for Graulhet's second try. Although Boshoff closed the gap with a 45th minute penalty, another Gratton kick and a try for winger Kevin Thiry on the hour put the visitors home and dry at 33-11.

There was time for two later consolation scores for Grasse as first a pushover try and then a 79th minute score by former Le Bugue prop Naisake Tarogi gave the final score a degree of respectability, and the game ended on a sour note with Graulhet flanker Ludovic Quezel and Grasse lock Fabrice Meillassoux saw a pair of red cards for a last-minute punch-up.

Second string: Grasse B 23 Valence d'Agen B 20

Also in Pool 2: Blagnac 14 Beziers 6, Montauban 20 Romans 15, Aubenas 32 La Seyne 19, Valence d'Agen 16 Nice 22, Lavaur 22 Chateaurenard 9

Next up: La Seyne vs Grasse, Stade Victor-Marquet, Saturday 20 November. It's only a short hop for Grasse this week over to La-Seyne-sur-Mer, where the locals, in the shadow of Top 14 giants Toulon, are the statistician's archetypal French club: their three wins have come at home, while their four defeats have all come on the road.

The good news for Grasse is that low-scoring US Seynoise have scored just eight tries all season to Grasse's 11, although their defence is tighter, having conceded only 13 tries to Grasse's 19.

Sadly the records suggest that Grasse are facing another defeat, but hopefully les Parfumiers will be fired up to put on a show ahead of the following week's visit of sleeping giants Beziers to Stade Perdigon - so much a highlight of the season that you should probably book now for the club's €20 three-courser-and-ticket deal.

US Seynoise were founded a full six years before their illustrious neighbours, and despite Toulon's greater success since, La Seyne got a taste of the big time last season when they hosted local rivals Marseille-Vitrolles at Toulon's Stade Felix-Mayol, and duly won 14-12. A promised Top 14 curtain-raising return at Marseille's Stade Vélodrome never materialised however, and La Seyne lost 9-55 on the way to the Play-Downs.

The season so far: OK, so we let the, ahem, Grasse grow under our feet in the last few weeks. So here's what you missed of our Fed1 favourites' campaign so far...
Week 1: Lavaur 24 Grasse 15. Grasse's first Federale 1 season got off to a perfect start as they led Lavaur 15-12 going into the final quarter. Unfortunately the metronomic boot of Cyril Duroueix put paid to hopes of victory and ultimately even a bonus point.
Week 2: Grasse 15 Valence d'Agen 16. Les Parfumiers went even closer in their second outing, leading Valence d'Agen into the 80th minute before Anthony Tesquet ruined the Stade Perdigon party with the match-winning penalty. Two months down the line, however, the French Rugby Federation did what Grasse failed to do and stripped les Valenciens of the win for fielding an ineligible player.
Week 3: Montauban 41 Grasse 23. Les parfumiers stun Montauban with a second-minute try by former Toulon winger Laurent Bouchet, but four unanswered tries from the Top 14 demotees clinch a bonus point before late scores from Grasse flanker Azzouz Aib and centre Fabien Toujague restore some respectability.
Week 4: Grasse 15 Blagnac 13. A win! A try in each half from flanker Romain Souquet is enough to ground the aero boys of Blagnac, and Grasse hold out in a tight final quarter to register their first Federale 1 victory.
Week 5: Aubenas 38 Grasse 21. Normal service is resumed as Grasse fall to a bonus point defeat at promotion hopefuls Aubenas. Souquet and pro Benoit Devic cross twice for our garcons but an 80th minute penalty try is Aubenas' all-important fifth score of a tough afternoon for les Parfumiers.
Week 6: Chateaurenard 29 Grasse 10. The visitors were never in this one, scrum-half Eric Delage bringing the score into double figures long after bottom-halfers Chateaurenardhad claimed a vital bonus point.

The news Fed-lines: Montauban lead the way in Pool 2, but only two points separate the top six after Blagnac pulled of a 14-6 win over favourites Beziers, winger William Laguerre scoring the only try of the game and former Tarbes hero Krist Kopetsky adding three penalties. The aero boys climb to second, but Aubenas and Lavaur are hot on their heels after easy home wins.

Pro D2 releguees Bourg-en-Bresse have had a cauchemar since we last caught up with the, winning only one of their first five games before getting their season back on track with two wins. The second of those came at lowly Annecy, Mathieu Chabaud kicking four penalties and a drop goal and Nicolas Manguelin adding a fifth penalty for an easy 18-13 win. At the business end of Pool 2, Bobigny lead after picking up a bonus point in their 26-3 win at Cergy, Massy sit second after an 18-12 win over Dijon and last week's leaders, Nevers, drop to third after a 23-30 defeat at Macon, fly half Benjamin Roudiere kicking all of the hosts' points with 10 penalties to Nevers' pair of tries.

In Pool 3 Perigueux and Limoges continue to spar at the top with bonus-point wins over Langon and Niort respectively. Marmande battled into third place with a 10-5 win over Pays Medoc, who may be the only one of the league's 49 teams without a win, but whose five battling bonus points keep them ahead of bottom club Tours.

At the other end of the scale, Pool 4 leaders Tyrosse are the only unbeaten side in Federale 1, their only blip coming in week 6 with a shock 9-9 draw at bottom club Orthez. They were tryless again this week in their 15-9 win over second-placed Castanet, Thiery Dupré kicking five penalties to three from the visitors' portugese fly-half Yannick Ricardo. Figeac's Georgian contingent secured a 29-26 win over a battling St-Jean-de-Luz, full back Beka Urjukashvili scoring two tries, fly half Merab Kvirikashvili claiming a Full House of 19 points and prop David Balanchivadze earning a mention in despatches.

But all credit must go to Lille, who drew level with Lourdes with a 20-16 win over the Basilica Boys. Dumped in the southwest pool for daring to challenge the French Federation in the courts, northeasterners Lille have now won five of their seven games, including an away win at Cahors - although at 'just' 1582km, it was their shortest round trip of a season-long journey that currently stands at 5564km.

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

Fédérale 1 Pool 2 table: