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Pro D2 rumbles on this Thursday night, returning to the Stade Chanzy where Soyaux Angoulême, sitting in 11th place, host 7th placed Agen as we inch towards the halfway point of the season.
To say the hosts have had an interesting time of it of late would be an understatement. SAXV were magnificent last season, superbly steered by coach Alex Ruiz in reaching their first ever Pro D2 barrage, underpinned by an exceptional away record that saw them pick up 7 wins on the road. Wind forward to this year, and they have managed another 3 away victories, including at the Stade Amédée-Domenech against Brive in round 8 and last week down in Béziers.
Things, however, have not been quite so rosy at home, and that’s not just a comment on a proposed boycott of Angoulême’s famed comic book festival. Three defeats at the Chanzy were topped off a fortnight ago with a late loss to Aurillac that led to Ruiz admonishing his players on the pitch, in full view of both the home crowd and the entire rugby-watching public, with every word of an extraordinary dressing-down caught on the Canal+ cameras. Whether the means justified the ends - the result at Béziers came in the immediate aftermath - is up for debate.
This week Angoulême will be desperate to avoid another Ruiz hammering, and there is plenty for the home side to be excited about. Despite Ben Botica missing out through injury, SAXV boast a pair of excellent halfbacks in Corentin Glenat and the hugely experienced Manny Saubusse, more than capable of putting them in strong positions to exert plenty of pressure.
Samuel Nollet continues to impress as a hugely physical carrier at No. 8. Seydou Diakité is a tighthead of massive promise (see viral clip below…) and makes his 4th start in a row, alongside Paul Tailhades, who replaces Sami Zouhair, a stand out at loosehead against Béziers last week. Matt Beukeboom, the Canadian lock who made Rugbyrama’s Team of the Week last time out, also starts.
There is plenty of excitement in the outside backs too in the shape of former Pau man Eoghan Barrett, and keep an eye out for Rémi Brosset, making his first appearance of the year from fullback, who came through the Agen academy.
It’s hard to ignore the presence, though, of George Tilsley in the centres for the home side. On the 4th December, Tilsley was sentenced to two years in prison, one suspended, for domestic violence offences against two former partners between 2016 and 2022. Tilsley had previously been sacked by Toulouse following a similar conviction, before signing for Agen. At the time, the Lot-et-Garonne club stated that they were giving him “his last chance”, and so it proved as he was released in March 2024 following a post match altercation with a club official that preceded his move to the Charente.
An appeal against his most recent sentence reinstates both the player’s “presumption of innocence” under the French legal system and, therefore, his eligibility for selection. As it’s Ruiz and his staff’s prerogative to pick Tilsley, commentators are well within their rights - in light of the publicly available victim testimony - to criticise SAXV’s team selection. Ruiz’s on-field rant a few weeks ago included the blunt assessment his team were “absolutely crap”, and the same critique can be levelled this week at a selection that brings unwanted attention to a playing group where otherwise there is so much to admire.
For Agen, they come into this with renewed vigour following a vital home win against a flying Provence side last week that put an end to three losses in a row. Captain Santi Socino was incredible in that performance as he has been all year, and leads a side that clearly smells blood on the road. Alex Burin brings plenty of power in the front row alongside his captain, and the Agen pack will push Angoulême for the full 80, with Lasha Macharashvili set to replace Burin, and Evan Olmstead (the second Canadian lock in this fixture) and Chilean Javier Eismann positioned to bring huge amounts of ballast from the bench.
Agen’s back row, in spite of missing Tomasi Fineanganofo, looks high class, with Julien Lebian bringing astonishing work rate and 21-year-old Enzo Sérieyssol, distinctive headband in tow, bringing more than a shade of Henry Pollock’s energy and athleticism. The ‘Agen Pollock’ has been sublime for the Garonne side this season, and there are whispers that fans at the Stade Armandie refer to his English doppelganger as the ‘Northampton Sérieyssol’. In the centres, Kolinio Ramoka and Sio Tomkinson bring serious Fijian and Kiwi punch and will test Angoulême at the gainline all night.
In spite of the selection controversy, there is plenty to be excited about for this one. Two sides off the back of excellent wins last week, a genuine shot at an away win and a hosting side with plenty to prove. The Thursday Pro D2 fixtures are rarely dull and this one looks set to live up to that billing.
| # | Team | PL | W | L | D | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  RC Vannes | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 193 | 7 | 49 |
| 2 |  Valence Romans Drôme | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 43 |
| 3 |  Colomiers Rugby | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 188 | 6 | 42 |
| 4 |  Provence Rugby | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 85 | 8 | 40 |
| 5 |  US Oyonnax | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 85 | 7 | 35 |
| 6 |  USON Nevers | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | -28 | 5 | 33 |
| 7 |  SU Agen | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 33 |
| 8 |  Stade Aurillacois | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | -35 | 4 | 32 |
| 9 |  CA Brive | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 36 | 3 | 29 |
| 10 |  FC Grenoble Rugby | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 28 |
| 11 |  Soyaux-Angoulême XV | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | -92 | 2 | 26 |
| 12 |  Biarritz Olympique | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | -51 | 4 | 23 |
| 13 |  US Dax | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 21 |
| 14 |  AS Béziers Hérault | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | -59 | 4 | 20 |
| 15 |  Stade Montois | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | -204 | 2 | 14 |
| 16 |  US Carcassonnaise XV | 13 | 2 | 10 | 1 | -178 | 3 | 13 |
Round 14 – Best Of The Rest
Valence-Romans, absolutely flying in second place, host local rivals Grenoble in what will be a test of their incredible recent form, in spite of Grenoble’s troubles recently. A 15-point gap between the sides at this point in the season may have been predicted, but perhaps not in favour of Les Damiers, testament to the quality of their attacking rugby in particular to date. Dax vs Colomiers is intriguing, a classic example of grunt vs guile. The home team are the lowest-budget team in the league with an enormous pack, playing very nicely despite early season struggles, while visitors Colomiers love to play at pace but have struggled up front in recent weeks.
Elsewhere, some of the league’s strugglers travel to big-budget clubs, and it looks unlikely that we will see a deluge of away wins as occurred last week.
Pro D2 continues this Thursday (11th December) with Soyaux Angoulême v Agen, available live to UK & Ireland viewers for free via FRUK Rugby on YouTube.