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S. Koen (8'), C. Dodson (20'), Penalty Try (63'), B. Mechentel (66')
Tries
F. Peni (3'), D. Jooste (33')
J. Laharrague (9', 21', 67')
Conversions
T. Santoro (4')
J. Laharrague (12', 52')
Penalties
T. Santoro (11', 30', 47', 58')
This Languedoc derby was more than a date on the calendar. For AS Béziers Hérault, coming in 15th with the league’s ugliest points differential, it was a pressure test in front of their own. For newly promoted neighbours RC Narbonne, it was another measure of how quickly they’re adjusting to Pro D2. What we can say now: Béziers got the release they needed; Narbonne were reminded that ill-timed lapses are brutal at this level.
We don’t yet have the granular post-match reporting that fills in the pictures between the scoring plays, so the verdict has to rest on stakes and the verified beats. And those beats point to a contest that was in the balance until discipline cracked it. Narbonne took two yellows — Charles-Henri Berguet before the break and Clément Bitz just after the hour — and the second one was decisive. Straight away came a penalty try to the hosts, then Barnabé Mechentel finished another surge four minutes later. From 20–24 down to 34–24 in a flash, and that was that.
The raw numbers back up that swing. Béziers carried almost twice as often, broke more tackles and found more clean cuts; Narbonne had the tidier set piece but defended far more overall. That workload picture matters in a derby — it wears you down, and with 14 on the field it becomes unmanageable.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAK
DEFENDER BEATEN
TACKLE
MISSED TACKLE
TURNOVER WON
TURNOVERS CONCEDED
PENALTY CONCEDED
YELLOW CARD
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
Within that framework, a few Béziers jerseys earned a namecheck. Malakai Fekitoa gave them gain-line presence and tempo on the carry; 13 carries and 81 metres in a derby tells its own story. Mechentel was busy and direct, two clean breaks and the clinching try. Sias Koen not only scored early but gave them length on exits and ballast in contact, 64 metres from 13 carries. And while it wasn’t a spotless night — five turnovers against his name — Joseph Laharrague still banked 12 points and kept them playing high up the field, with two line breaks of his own from full-back. Up front, Cam Dodson took his try and did the hard yards, even if his penalty count will irritate the coaching box. Lineout rhythm looked improved with Yvann Lalevée throwing, though 6/8 isn’t perfect and there were messy moments that better sides will feast on.
Does the margin flatter them? A touch, yes. The game flipped while Narbonne were down a lock, and the penalty try essentially gifted seven at a time when the visitors had their noses in front. But Béziers didn’t stumble into it. Their volume with ball — 125 carries to 72 — and the spread of metres across Fekitoa, Mechentel, Job Poulet and the back three suggest they played more on the front foot than they have all month. The work-ons remain clear: 18 turnovers is too many for a side that wants to control territory, and an 11-penalty night will cost them in tighter matches.
Narbonne will be annoyed because there was a lot to like in their scaffolding. Thibault Santoro managed the scoreboard with four penalties and a conversion; they got early incision from Faletoi Peni and a tidy finish from Daniel Jooste. The set piece looked stable — 11/13 lineouts and a perfect scrum return — and there was graft in the back row, with Naël Souid getting through a stack of tackles and Caleb Timu trucking it up 16 times. But they bled 22 missed tackles and lived off scraps of possession, and when the card came on 62 minutes they simply couldn’t slow Béziers’ tempo or exits. Subbing Santoro soon after the lead changed didn’t help their chase; without his boot they had fewer ways to squeeze penalties in Béziers territory.
Context matters for both. Béziers needed something to cling to after being rag-dolled at Montauban; this gives them air before Valence Romans, and confirms there’s enough punch in that midfield to play on the front foot if they tidy their breakdown security. Narbonne are new back in this league after May’s promotion and have already shown they can trade tries; the lesson here is sharper: Pro D2 punishes cards, and a good set piece won’t save you if you spend too long tackling in your own half. They’ve got Oyonnax next — a very different kind of ask — and the priority is simple: keep 15 on the field and let the structures that worked here actually decide the contest, not the sanction board.
We’ll learn more when the detailed reports land. For now, the scoreboard, the cards and the stat sheet tell enough of the truth: Béziers earned their derby lift by doing more with the ball and cashing in when Narbonne thinned their line; Narbonne had a platform but handed away the moment to use it.
