Top 14: Week 17 Preview
League leaders face a tricky visit to Biarritz on Friday night whilst closest rivals Clermont Auvergne welcome a Racing Metro side desperate to hold on to the play-off spots.
Last weekend did see one match, with the postponed clash between last season's promoted sides Bordeaux-Bègles and Lyon ending in a 31-10 victory for Bordeaux.
Friday
Montpellier v Perpignan 18:00
Two sides at opposite ends of the form spectrum meet at the Stade Yves du Manoir on Friday night. Montpellier have won six of their last seven matches in the Top 14 whilst Perpignan have won just once in their last eleven matches.
The hosts' home form has been exceptional, capped time out with a dominant win over Stade Français. Perpignan's sole victory since September came on the road, but they lost last time out on the road to fellow strugglers Brive.
Both sides will be without their first-choice stand-offs, with Francois Trinh-Duc and James Hook away with France and Wales respectively. Perpignan also lose veteran prop Nicolas Mas to the French side.
Montpellier fans will be pleased that Philipe Saint-André overlooked captain Fulgence Ouedraogo for international selection, and the back-row will as ever lead by example in the back row. Montpellier by more than 7.
Biarritz v Toulouse 20:00
As with Perpignan, Biarritz are another big name side that have found themselves at the wrong end of the table, sitting as they do in the relegation places.
After an upturn in fortunes with the return from injury of Dimitri Yachvili and Imanol Harinordoquy, the Basque side face another few weeks without their key men during the Six Nations, and having the champions visit, even in the depleted form that Toulouse must take, is not what Biarritz would have wanted.
Toulouse will be without eight of their starting line-up, but with perhaps the greatest strength in depth in the Top 14, they are unlikely to suffer quite as much as their opponents, whose two missing internationals will hurt them more than if Toulouse had lost 15 players to the Six Nations.
The statistics speak for themselves. Toulouse have scored the most tries, and conceded the second least in the Top 14, whilst Biarritz have crossed the line fewer times than anybody else and only Stade Français have conceded more tries this season. Toulouse by 10
Saturday
Toulon v Bordeaux-Bègles 13:00
Toulon host a Bordeaux side that have performed above all expectations this season as they sit just three points away from the play-off spots.
Bordeaux's home record has been impressive in their debut Top 14 season, and their victory over Lyon last week moved them within 9 points of third placed Toulon.
Toulon themselves recorded an emphatic victory last time out with Johnny Wilkinson kicking 25 of their 50 point haul against Bayonne and both sides have healthy try-scoring records this season.
But whilst Toulon have one of the best defensive records in the league, Bordeaux's defence has been at times this season quite weak, particularly on the road. With neither side too badly hit by international call-ups, Toulon have to be favourites to take four points on Saturday. Toulon by 7.
Bayonne v Stade Français 13:00
Stade take on Bayonne on Saturday with both sides in desperate need of a victory. Bayonne to lift the weight of having 13 sides above them in the league, and Stade to create a gap between themselves and the sides below chasing the play-off places.
Bayonne sit bottom of the table, but with 10th placed Brive just five points ahead, it is not a lost cause yet. Taking into account Stade's awful away record this season, and a leaky defence that has conceded 37 tries in 16 games, this could be a real opportunity for the big-spending Basque side to ensure that their spell at the foot of the table lasts just a couple of rounds. Bayonne by 3
Clermont Auvergne v Racing Metro 13:30
It is never easy to travel to the Stade Marcel Michelin, but for Racing Metro it couldn't be much worse. After the shock news of Sebastian Chabal's departure last week, it has emerged that the players have staged a small revolution against manager Pierre Berbizier.
The Parisians have won just one game in four, and are in danger of letting the play-offs slip away again. With Clermont's imposing home record it looks like it will be one win in five for Racing, and although the hosts have lost a number of key players to the France Six Nations squad, a side who have lost confidence in their coach are going to struggle against any side. Clermont by 10
