Saint-Raphaël Vard beat Dunkerque 26:25 in the opening round of Starligue on Thursday evening. The match took place at the home venue on 2026-09-11, with the final whistle bringing a narrow victory for the hosts. Both sides had started the campaign with a point from earlier encounters, setting up a closely fought contest from the first minute.
The result sees Saint-Raphaël climb to 14th place in the standings, while Dunkerque remain in 12th position after their first league appearance. The visitors had drawn their previous match against Caen, whereas the hosts had lost their opening fixture against Limoges. Cup football has its own rules, but this was a straightforward league encounter with real stakes for both clubs.
Twenty-six goals for the home side against Dunkerque's twenty-five tells you everything about how tight this was. The hosts never got out of second gear, pressing forward when the opposition threatened to pull away. One goal separated the teams at the final whistle, and that margin could easily have swung either way.
Dunkerque had shown signs of improvement in their recent games, beating Ivry 29:27 and drawing with Caen 30:29 before their loss in the most recent fixture. Saint-Raphaël, meanwhile, had been inconsistent — losing to Limoges 31:36 but previously finding their rhythm against Montpellier and Toulouse. The decision was overturned in terms of form, with the hosts finally putting together a complete performance.
What this means for the table is that both teams remain in the lower half, but the gap between them is minimal. A single goal difference and one place in the standings — that is the reality of the opening round. The season has barely begun, and there is plenty of time for positions to shift.