Week 5 Power Rankings - D1 Élite
- Arnaud Dignocourt
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
As always, a reminder before we get into it: this is subjective. These rankings are based on results, game flow, momentum, level of opposition, and the overall impression each team left this weekend. They are not the standings, and they are not meant to be taken personally. The goal is simple: place teams where they feel right now, after comparing what we thought we knew through the first month of the season with what Week 5 confirmed, challenged, or completely changed.
And with the halfway point now here, this week mattered.
At the top, the Black Panthers and Iron Mask did exactly what unbeaten heavyweights are supposed to do and kept tightening their grip on the race. The Flash avoided a bad result, but the draw keeps them just short of that very top tier. Marseille made the kind of climb that comes from stacking wins in very different styles, while Aix kept building real momentum with another result that felt bigger than it looked on paper. On the other side, Perpignan took another hit, and teams like Rouen, Grenoble, and Villepinte are running out of room to frame defeats as anything other than warning signs.
Here’s where things stand after Week 5:
1. Black Panthers - Thonon-les-Bains (5-0)
Still number one, and for me it’s getting harder and harder to make any serious case against them. What stood out to me in Rouen wasn’t just the score, it was the feeling of control. Even when the game wasn’t fully broken open early, they never looked bothered. Rouen briefly got back within reach, and Thonon just kept playing their game until the gap reappeared. That’s what the best teams do: they don’t panic, they don’t rush, they just lean on their identity until the opponent gives way. And right now, no one in France looks more comfortable in that identity than the Black Panthers.
2. Iron Mask - Cannes (5-0)
I’m keeping them just behind Thonon, but the gap is not huge. What impressed me this week is how different this win felt from some of their earlier ones. Against Grenoble, there was no slow burn, no feeling-out phase that lingered too long. They hit immediately and never came off the gas. Yes, Grenoble are struggling, but a 49-0 road win still says something about a team’s concentration and maturity. For me, Cannes are starting to look less like a good undefeated team and more like a team that knows exactly how strong it is. That makes them very dangerous.
3. Flash - La Courneuve (3-1-1)
This is where things get more interesting. The draw at the Météores doesn’t feel like a disaster at all, especially given the injury situation and how messy things seem to be around the quarterback spot right now. In a weird way, I actually came away respecting the Flash defense more than anything else. They were in a game where offensive rhythm was hard to find, and they gave Fontenay very little. That said, I can’t ignore the fact that offensively, this team still feels restricted compared to the two unbeaten teams above them. They’re still clearly one of the best teams in the country, but right now they feel a little less complete than Thonon and Cannes.
4. Blue Stars - Marseille (3-2)
This is probably the boldest move in my ranking, but I’m comfortable with it. Marseille are climbing because over the last two weeks, I’ve seen something I trust: a team that can win in different ways. Week 4 gave them the offensive release game against Grenoble. Week 5 gave them the exact opposite: a gritty, low-scoring road game where the defense carried the weight and one offensive play made the difference. That matters a lot to me. When a team starts showing multiple winning scripts, I’m more inclined to believe in it. I’m not saying Marseille are suddenly a title favorite, but right now I trust their trajectory more than the teams directly behind them.
5 . Météores - Fontenay-sous-Bois (3-1-1)
They stay in the upper half because I thought this draw said some good things about them, even if it wasn’t spectacular. This was the kind of game where both teams were wounded, both attacks were limited, and the margin for error was tiny. In that type of game, Fontenay held up well. I didn’t come away blown away, but I also didn’t come away thinking they had slipped. The frustrating part for them is that they probably had a real chance to win it, and the late penalty on the return will sting. Still, if I compare their overall body of work and what they showed against a top-level opponent, I’m keeping them solidly in this range.
6. Molosses - Asnières-sur-Seine (2-3)
This week helped them, but not enough for me to push them much higher. The 50-7 win is obviously huge on paper, and they did exactly what they should do against a team in Villepinte’s form: take control and keep pouring it on. I liked that they didn’t let the early response from the Diables Rouges create doubt. They reasserted themselves quickly and turned the game into a blowout. But I’m still a little careful here, because the opponent matters, and because I want to see this level travel. At home, the Molosses look increasingly convincing. Now I want to feel the same thing away from Asnières before I push them above the teams ahead.
7. Argonautes - Aix-en-Provence (2-2-1)
They are the team I’m most tempted to keep climbing. Two straight wins, and the second one means much more than the first. Going to Perpignan, falling behind 12-0, then flipping the game with your run game and your physicality? That’s the kind of performance that changes how I look at a team. This didn’t feel fluky to me. It felt like a team growing into itself. I still keep them behind Marseille, Fontenay and the Molosses because the earlier part of the season matters too, but the arrow is clearly up. And honestly, if they do it again next week, they won’t stay this low.
8. Grizzlys - Perpignan (3-2)
This is where the ranking starts to get uncomfortable for them, because I still think there is real quality here. But two weeks in a row, I’ve seen the same bad pattern: good start, then fading control, then a game slipping out of their hands. That is a major red flag. Against Aix, they had the game where they wanted it in the first half, and once again they couldn’t sustain it. Badis Grami’s injury obviously changes things and has to be factored in, but even beyond that, this team suddenly feels fragile. I’m not burying them, because the ceiling is still obvious, but right now I can’t keep them in the top four on reputation alone.
9. Ours - Toulouse (1-4)
They keep sliding for me. I don’t think the 7-0 loss to Marseille was disgraceful, because defensively they were in the kind of game they probably wanted. But at some point, “it was close” stops meaning much when you never actually flip those games. Toulouse are now too often playing football that keeps them alive without really convincing me they can take control. That’s a dangerous place to be. I still have them above Rouen because I trust their defense a bit more, but this team feels stuck right now, and stuck is rarely a good sign at midseason.
10. Léopards - Rouen (1-4)
I actually thought parts of this game against Thonon were more respectable than the score might suggest, but I’m still dropping them into this zone because moral positives only go so far. Yes, they were overwhelmed early. Yes, they did respond and briefly cut the gap. But no, I never really believed they were turning the game. That’s the issue. Rouen have moments, but they don’t sustain enough quality to make those moments feel like momentum. The offense still feels too vulnerable when they lose control of the script, and right now I find them hard to trust over four quarters.
11. Centaures - Grenoble (0-4-1)
They stay here because this weekend felt brutal in every sense. A 49-0 loss at home is the kind of result that wipes out a lot of the “they compete hard” credit they had built in previous weeks. I had at least felt before that Grenoble could stay annoying, stay close, maybe turn a game ugly enough to create pressure. I didn’t feel that here. Cannes hit them early, and from there the game looked completely one-way. There’s still enough from earlier weeks to keep them above Villepinte for now, but the margin is shrinking fast.
12. Diables Rouges - Villepinte (0-5)
Still last, and unfortunately this week did nothing to challenge that. The most frustrating part, honestly, is that the game did not start hopelessly. They answered the first Molosses score and for a brief moment it looked like maybe this could stay competitive. Then it completely collapsed. That’s what keeps them at the bottom for me: not just losing, but losing control of games so quickly once the momentum turns. Until that changes, it’s very hard to move them anywhere else.
Comments