The long and exhausting regular season of Pro D2 delivered its verdict this Friday evening, at the end of a 30th and final day full of twists and turns. Of the sixteen clubs involved, only six are left dreaming of promotion to the Top 14 at the end of the final phase which will begin next week.
The two teams directly qualified for the semi-finals are the leader Aix-en-Provence, who defeated Grenoble this Friday (44-20), and Vannes, long in the lead which finally ranks second after its defeat in Agen (27 -22).
The play-offs will be Béziers (3rd), Grenoble (4th), Dax (5th), who is the first promoted in history to achieve the feat of qualifying for the final phase of Pro D2, and Brive (6th), qualified in extremis thanks to its improved victory against Biarritz (34-10).
Everyone now dreams of winning the Pro D2 final, which will take place on Saturday June 8 (5:30 p.m.) at the Ernest-Wallon stadium in Toulouse, to validate their accession to the Top 14. The unfortunate finalist will have a second chance to validate their ticket for the The elite of French rugby a week later as it will welcome the 13th of the Top 14 (Montpellier at the moment) to its pitch for a promotion match.
At the bottom of the table, at the end of an evening with a Hitchcockian scenario, it was Rouen, beaten to the wire at Mont-de-Marsan (38-31), which finished 16th and was relegated to the National. Montauban, thanks to a defensive bonus point won in Aurillac (27-22), finished 15th and snatched a place in the playoff against the National finalist.
Barrages
Thursday May 23 (9 p.m.): Grenoble (4th)-Dax (5th), in Grenoble
Friday May 24 (9 p.m.): Béziers (3rd)-Brive (6th), in Béziers
Semi-finals
Thursday May 30 (9 p.m.): Aix-en-Provence (1st) – Grenoble or Dax, in Aix
Friday May 31 (9 p.m.): Vannes (2nd) – Béziers or Brive, in Vannes
Finale
Saturday June 8 (5:30 p.m.) in Toulouse: the winner is promoted to the Top 14
« Access game »
Sunday June 16 (6 p.m.): match between the unfortunate finalist of Pro D2 and the 13th in the Top 14
