The cup victory complete, Cougar Park's away dressing-room filled with the smoke of celebrating Frenchmen.
The Bears of Saint Gaudens had just completed a 24-0 mauling of the Cougars and were puffing away on their Camel Lights well before Keighley coach Gary Moorby had a chance to berate his lacklustre side.
"I feel we have taken one step forward and two steps back," said Moorby, who still awaits his first win after three games in charge.
"It is bitterly disappointing. We have let the supporters down because too many key players did not perform. There were not many highlights for us today."
The first-half performance from the previous week, when they went out-played Featherstone, was not repeated and the Cougars gave little indication of the form required for a top nine league finish.
You could count the occasions on one hand that they completed sets of sixes and they rarely threatened their physical French visitors.
At times the Cougars were like virgins confronted by a streaker as the clever angled runs of the Gallic backs met with little resistance.
The game was less than two minutes old when Julien Gerin ran in for this first try, followed by a second score 11 minutes later.
The powerful Australians, whose presence on the continent has done so much for French rugby, combined well with Adam Golder sending in Brad-Lee Middelbosch from two yards.
And with Jason Ramshaw leaving the field seconds later with his recurring shoulder injury, the 1101-strong Cougar Army were left with little to cheer about.
The home side put in an error-strewn performance which, compounded by sloppy play, led to 19 penalties and two sin-bin offences.
The French, who are in mid-table obscurity in their league, took full advantage of the extra possession on offer and proceeded to stack up the points.
Pacey international Fourcade Abasse bagged the first of his two tries with a 30-yard jinking run on 28 minutes followed soon after by Australian powerhouse Chris St Clair, who took full advantage of a Danny Fearon missed tackle.
Claude Sirvent ran in another before the break and Abasse grabbed his second on the hour-mark.
Competent performances by James Rushforth and debutant Simeon Hoyle were the only plusses for a Cougar side who missed out on a money-spinning cup run.
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