Plan-de-Cuques Women hosted Dijon in the opening round of the Butagaz Energy League on Friday evening, 29 August. The away side secured a narrow victory with a final score of 28-23. Both teams enter the campaign with one game played and one point each after the weekend's action.
There was a familiar pattern to this encounter, if only because the sides met less than three months ago. On 31 May, Dijon had come from behind to win 27-26 in what proved to be a closely contested affair. By then, the visitors had already shown they could handle the pressure when the game tightened. This time around, they kept their composure and converted their opportunities.
What stands out is not just the result, but the manner in which Dijon managed the match. They did not rush, and they did not panic when the home side pushed forward. The away team's experience in tight finishes showed through — one mistake ends it, and they avoided the kind of errors that would have swung this in Plan-de-Cuques' favour.
For Plan-de-Cuques, this was their first competitive match of the season after a run of friendlies in May. They had beaten Achenheim 34-24 and Paris 92 31-29 in those warm-up games, but the league pace is different. They kept knocking on the door at times, but could not find the breakthrough when it mattered most.
The result means both clubs now have a record of one game, one point. Neither team has won or lost enough to claim advantage yet, but Dijon's away win gives them a slight edge in the early standings. The table will fill out quickly from here.