Vannes claim first Top 14 win of the season, snatching victory over Clermont thanks to Boutier's conversion

Vannes snatched their first Top 14 win of the season

Former France rugby international, full-back Anthony Boutier converted a try in the 80th minute, giving Vannes a 27-26 victory over Clermont on Saturday — the club's first win in the French Top 14 this season, AFP reports. Boutier added the conversion after Argentine forward Francisco Gorissen dotted down for the Bretons, who were promoted from the second division in June.

A comeback from a 17-point deficit

With 25 minutes left in the match, Vannes trailed by 17 points, but tries from hooker Mills Sanerivi and forward Ioane Iashagashvili laid the foundation for a late comeback. Despite the win, however, Vannes remain bottom of the table, six points behind Racing 92, who occupy the relegation play-off spot.

The match in difficult weather conditions

The match was played in difficult conditions: a yellow wind warning was in effect in Vannes. Clermont quickly led 16-6 after a try from scrum-half Baptiste Jauneau, with the rest of the points provided from the boot by fly-half Harry Plummer, the league's top scorer, who finished with 16 points. After the break, Clermont extended their lead to 23-6 thanks to a try from prop Giorgi Dzmanashvili. Clermont, with only two wins this season, sit in 12th place. “Six straight defeats is hard. Doubts creep in. Our real Top 14 story starts today”, the 34-year-old Boutier told Canal Plus.

Other matches of the round

Defending champions Toulouse extended their lead at the top of the table to six points by beating Perpignan 38-33. Perpignan winger Theo Forner, named the day before in France's squad for the November Nations Championship, was substituted in the second half as a precaution after an ankle injury. Lyon beat Bayonne 31-27 thanks to Fijian Jiuta Wainikolo's sixth try of the season; he will face France in two weeks. Racing lost at home to Montpellier 17-20 — the match was moved to Le Mans — while Castres beat Stade Francais 16-8. Second-placed Pau missed the chance to close the gap on Toulouse, losing to Toulon 20-41: Melvyn Jaminet scored 26 points, including the first hat-trick of his career.

Injuries to France squad players

In the Pau — Toulon match, two more France internationals were injured: centre Fabien Brau-Boireau (Pau) left the pitch with a knee problem, while forward Charles Ollivon (Toulon) hurt his wrist. According to AFP, this threatens to lengthen an already long list of casualties for Les Bleus head coach Fabien Galthie. On Sunday, third-placed Bordeaux-Begles, led by their France stars including winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, will play away at La Rochelle. Vannes' win matters above all for the survival fight: the promoted club ended a run of six defeats but still trail Racing 92 by six points, while the injuries to Brau-Boireau and Ollivon directly affect the France squad ahead of the start of the Nations Championship next month.