There were big winning margins in four of the five games in the Elite Championship at the weekend.
In the closest game, Avignon recorded a 20-16 win over Limoux to drag them close to the top four as their resurgence continues.
Louis Jouffret, Sofiane Ghanem and Corentin Rey scored first half tries as Avignon opened up a 19-0 lead by half-time, Tony Gigot adding a late drop goal.
Limoux got on the board before Gigot added a second drop goal. Zachary Santo’s converted try made it 20-12 before Alain Torreilles opted to take a penalty to reduce arrears to one score.
The Grizzlies then decided to take a further penalty to bring things back to 20-16, but Avignon held on to win.
The Bisons are now just a point behind Limoux, who are a further three points behind third place Lezignan, who coasted past Toulouse 42-12.
Carcassonne remain top, having won 10 out of 11 games so far this season, beating Palau 46-16, with St Esteve a point behind them and a point ahead of Lezignan after their 40-20 win away at St Gaudens.
Villeneuve bounced back from a couple of defeats with a comfortable 42-16 win over Albi.
Chase considered France move
Former England international and Man of Steel Rangi Chase considered moving to France, before opting to join League 1 side West Wales Raiders. Chase, now 34, said: “I was looking for a change. I wanted to get out of Yorkshire because I’d been around there so long. I was getting a bit stagnant and I needed a new challenge. I was either going to France or Wales. I got speaking to Aaron – I played against him in my younger days – and then the club sold it to me.”
Elite 2 Championship won’t resume
The Elite 2 Championship will not resume for the 2020/21 season, it has been confirmed. The competition has been paused since before Christmas, and barely a handful of games had been played. Under 19s and amateur championships have also been cancelled. The next Elite 2 Championship season could start in October.
Elite 1 Championship Results
- Villeneuve 42-16 Albi
- Carcassonne 46-16 Palau
- St Gaudens 20-40 St Esteve
- Toulouse 12-42 Lezignan
- Limoux 16-20 Avignon
Elite 1 Championship Table
Upcoming Fixtures
- Avignon v Toulouse (Sat, 2pm UK)
- Albi v St Esteve (Sat, 3pm)
- Villeneuve v Limoux (Sat, 3pm)
- Carcassonne v Lezignan (Sun, 2pm)
- Palau v St Gaudens (Sun, 2pm)
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