CS Bourgoin-Jallieu — Suresnes: 34:12, Nationale

Bourgoin-Jallieu saw off Suurness 34 to 12 in a National fixture on Saturday afternoon. The result ended a run of poor away results for the visitors and confirmed home advantage in the division.

The hosts came into this match with mixed recent form. They had beaten Rennes 35:29 on September 26th but followed that with losses to Périgueux and Massi. Suurness, by contrast, had dropped points badly in their previous outing, losing 7:49 away to Chambéry.

and here's the thing — we had backed the home side before kickoff with 68 per cent confidence. By then it was clear Suurness had not won since their opening day, and the visitors never got going against a Bourgoin side that looked to have something to prove.

The final margin tells you everything about how the game settled. Suurness had lost four of their last five before this one, and Bourgoin played the second half a man up in spirit if not in numbers. The hosts closed the game out comfortably once they established control.

For Suurness this is now five defeats in their last five league matches. They will make life awkward for themselves if they cannot turn it around after the break next time out. Bourgoin, meanwhile, kept themselves in contention for a top-half finish.