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M. Dulon (6', 25', 38'), A. Carmona (16', 57'), R. Hardwick (19'), T. Debaes (30'), S. Bento (43'), G. Bazin (46'), U. Seguela (81')
Tries
J. Naseara (11'), R. Nacika (40+3'), B. Puntous (50')
T. Debaes (16', 20', 26', 31', 38', 44', 47', 58')
Conversions
H. Cerisier (12', 40+3', 51')
This told us more about urgency than form. Under the pump after three defeats in eight days, Colomiers arrived at Stade Michel Bendichou with a clear brief: win collisions, play off turnovers, and cash in against a travelling Dax defence that had already sprung a leak in Aurillac. They did exactly that, and kept doing it until the scoreboard looked brutal.
The hosts didn’t dominate the ball; they dominated the moments. Even with less possession, they ripped through the line repeatedly and finished almost everything they created. That first-half burst after 12 minutes — five tries in 22 — wasn’t a purple patch, it was a symptom. Dax were a step slow around the corner, lost too many contests on the floor, and their backfield spacing was loose enough for Colomiers’ back three to live off kick return and broken field.
Look at who did the damage. Simao Bento ran for 172 metres from full-back and picked his lines cold; Martin Dulon bagged a hat-trick and 102 metres at 13, stepping through soft shoulders more than once; Thibault Debaes took the ball to the line, scored, and went 8/8 off the tee for 21 points. In the pack, Luka Plataret hit 26 tackles and the breakdown had bite — seven turnovers won to one. That is where this blew open.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAK
DEFENDER BEATEN
TACKLE
MISSED TACKLE
TURNOVER WON
TURNOVERS CONCEDED
PENALTY CONCEDED
YELLOW CARD
RED CARD
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
It didn’t feel like a set-piece game because it wasn’t. Colomiers’ lineout spluttered at 73% and they weren’t interested in strangling field position; they were happy to counter and run. Dax’s lineout return was actually cleaner (88%), and they shaded possession, but every time they lost the gain line or coughed up a carry around midfield, the hosts punished them with front-foot ball and support lines that were sharper and faster.
There was a flicker early. Jope Naseara levelled it at 11 minutes, and Ratu Nacika finished the half with a powerful score after the horn. But between those two, Colomiers landed the punches that decided the night: Alberto Carmona first, then Richard Hardwick through traffic, Dulon’s second from a broken field surge, and Debaes on the wrap. By the time Dulon completed his treble on 38 minutes, Dax had conceded the inside shoulder too often and were scrambling on both edges. The restart brought no relief — Simao Bento and Gregoire Bazin crossed within six minutes of the break — and although Benjamin Puntous grabbed one back, a yellow to Mateo Lacroix and a second for Carmona turned the screw again. A late red for Federico Lavanini was the only blight on a home night that was already done at 61–21.
The margin doesn’t flatter the winners. It reflects how cleanly they converted breaks into points and how routinely they won collisions in the middle third. Colomiers beat 36 defenders and produced 12 clean breaks; their carriers — Bento, Dulon, Debaes, Bazin, Rayan Houari — kept getting over the gain line, and the support was relentless. Even with 38 missed tackles of their own, they forced Dax to play from slow ball and sideways for long stretches.
For Dax, the pattern away from home is now a problem, not a blip. Conceding 65 at Aurillac then 66 here puts a red circle around transition defence and breakdown resilience. Nacika’s 20 carries for 88 metres showed they weren’t without punch, and Malo Hannoyer and Louis Couget found yards in spurts, but one turnover won across 80 minutes against a side this eager to run is a recipe for pain. The edges disconnected too easily, the fold was late, and the kick chase left Bento too much grass.
Colomiers leave with confidence restored and a template that suits them: tempo off turnover, ambition from the backfield, and enough steel in contact to make it stick. The work-ons are obvious before Brive away — tidy the lineout, be cleaner in the tackle, and keep discipline front of mind after Lavanini’s red — but the energy and clarity were back. That matters.
Dax can point to set-piece stability and phases in which they held the ball, but none of that counts without edge speed and breakdown presence. Hosting Nice next, they need to address system spacing and make their first-up tackles mean something. You can’t keep winning at home and hemorrhaging away in this league. This was another loud reminder.
