France: Rouen Leopards edge Villepinte Diables Rouge in thrilling one-point victory

The Rouen Leopards (1-1) narrowly defeated the Villepinte Diables Rouge (0-2) 14-13 in a tense French D1 Elite battle that came down to a failed two-point conversion in the final minutes, giving Rouen their first win of the season.

Leopards strike first and last
Rouen opened the scoring with a physical rushing touchdown by Noah Carreau, who later connected with Jean Bidaux through the air to extend the lead to 14-7 in the second half. The Leopards’ offense showed versatility, mixing the run and pass effectively to keep the Diables Rouge defense off balance throughout the game.

Diables Rouge fight to the finish
Villepinte answered just before halftime when quarterback Isaiah Green found Yoann Gau for a tying score. After falling behind by seven in the second half, running back Joyce Tambu broke loose for a late touchdown, bringing the score to 14-13 and setting up a dramatic two-point attempt to take the lead.

Conversion miss seals outcome
The Diables Rouge opted to go for the win, but the Rouen defense stood firm, stuffing the two-point conversion attempt to preserve their slim lead. The stop secured a hard-fought, character-building victory for the Leopards, while Villepinte was left to rue another close loss in an 0-2 start to the year.