The Top 14 relegation battle hots up with Biarritz hosting a not-yet-safe Brive side, while the two teams in the relegation zone “ Lyon and Bayonne “ face tough away trips. At the top of the table Toulouse will host fourth-placed Castres as they look to bounce back from last week's heavy defeat to Clermont Auvergne.
Friday
Racing Metro v Bordeaux-Bègles 19:45
After a good run of form that saw six wins come from ten games and apparently put Bordeaux in a position of safety, snapping on the heels of Friday's opponents Racing Metro. But three defeats in three games has seen the promoted side slip within reach of the five teams below them fighting to survive.
Of those defeats, two have been on the road, and the away side will not look forward to their visit to the capital with their weak away record; on the road Bordeaux have shipped over 140 points in their last four games and they travel to Paris to take on Racing just as the play-off hopefuls have begun to put their off-field problems aside and find some winning form.
Racing have been far from convincing, however. It was a last-gasp effort to see off struggling Bayonne last week, but have been relatively sturdy at home. Bordeaux shouldn't present too much of a threat, but the minnows have pulled off several surprises this season, so victory is not beyond their reach. Racing by 7.
Saturday
Toulouse v Castres 12:45
Two teams with the need to prove a point clash at the Stade Ernest-Wallon on Saturday where Toulouse will look to bounce back after their first defeat in twelve games last weekend, and Castres “ who have won just two of their last five games “ will want to make amends for their bore draw against basement club Lyon on Saturday.
The champions haven't gone two games without a win since September 2009, and for back-to-back defeats, even longer. Castres have won just once in 15 visits to the Stade Ernest-Wallon, and on current form, that statistic is unlikely to improve this weekend.
Toulouse struggled against Clermont without their internationals, but in Les Jaunards they faced perhaps the strongest side in terms of depth, on par with themselves. Castres have shown little threat in recent matches, and Toulouse should have little problem maintaining their position at the top of the table. Toulouse by 10.
Montpellier v Bayonne 13:15
Bayonne travel to Montpellier off the back of two tough games that has seen them impress with little reward. The Basque side have now won just one game in nine, but after losing by a point at Racing, and holding Clermont to a draw, they find themselves desperately unlucky to be in the drop zone.
Montpellier on the other hand have been rattling along up the table. Defeat to fellow high-flyers Toulon was their first in six games, and their play-off aspirations are very much alive.
Looking at the table would suggest that this will be a very one-sided game. However taking into account Bayonne's recent improved performances, and the fact that the visitors have won this fixture both times in the last two seasons, and suddenly writing off Bayonne may seem a mistake.
With Perpignan and Biarritz “ the two sides directly above them “ both at home this weekend, it is imperative that Bayonne take at least something away from this game. Without an away win all season, however, it may prove to be too much for the struggling big-spenders. Montpellier by 5.
Stade Français v Lyon 13:15
Both sides head into this fixture in desperate need of a win to save their seasons. A couple of months ago Stade were progressing strongly up the table, and some gargantuan home performances had left many convinced that they were a side on their way to restoring the old glory days to the capital.
However a solitary win in their last six outings has seen the Parisians drop to eighth, and their only saving grace is that both Agen and Racing above them have struggled to take advantage of Stade's drop in form.
Lyon held on well at Castres last weekend, almost snatching a late victory against the fourth-placed side, but even an away draw was not enough to see them stay off the bottom of the table. Last season's Pro D2 champions have looked out of their depth all season, but somehow are not entirely down and out, yet.
Despite Stade having the worst defence in the league, it's hard to see Lyon penetrating the home side on current form, and if the home crowd can get behind them, Stade should cruise to a comfortable victory. Stade by 10.
Biarritz v Brive 13:15
Victory last time out for Biarritz meant that they had taken three wins and a losing bonus-point in the four starts that scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili has made this season. While it's true that a team is more than just one man, it's impossible to ignore the impact that the French scrum-half has had on his side this season.
With Phillipe Saint-Andre's decision to stick with Julien Dupuy and Morgan Parra for this weekend's Six Nations match against England, despite Yachvili's man of the match performance for Biarritz last weekend, Biarritz will be favourites to score back-to-back victories that will lift them away from the relegation zone, especially with the sides below them on the road.
Brive have been enigmatic this season. The have the only positive points difference outside of the top six, yet they have lost as many games as bottom side Lyon. They average a try conceded every two games, and while try scoring has been a bit of a problem for them, managing to keep so many games tight is what so far has kept them out of immediate relegation danger.
However they have been unable to close out games “ the nine losing bonus points they have accrued shows that, and with a kicker as consistent and cool-headed as Yachvili up against them, Biarritz have to be the favourites if the game becomes a kicking contest. Biarritz by 3.
Agen v Clermont Auvergne 13:15
Clermont travel to Agen on Saturday looking for their first win at the Stade Armandie after three defeats in three efforts in previous encounters. Les Jaunards will be on a huge high after brushing aside title rivals Toulouse last weekend, and will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to nine games as they keep the pressure on the leaders.
Agen have steadied their ship with back-to-back wins after three defeats in a row looked to have put paid to their play-off chances, but Clermont will be a different challenge.
Despite their strong run of form, they have drawn two of their last three away games, and their last two wins on the road have come in less than convincing fashion.
The best attack in the league will come up against the top scoring kicker in the league in the shape of Agen's Conrad Barnard, and if Saturday's game is to be as close as Clermont's recent away games have been, the former Free State Cheetah's fly-half could be the difference between the sides. Clermont by 3.
Perpignan v Toulon 19:30
Defeat to Agen last weekend “ Perpignan's eleventh in fourteen matches “ has left the 2009 champions just two points off the relegation places. Since their good start to the season, the Catalans have gradually been dropping towards the red zone, and each time they look to have turned it around, they have suffered another ignominious defeat.
Toulon on the other hand “ who were behind Perpignan in the table after five games “ have looked stronger and stronger as the season has progressed. A top two finish is looking an unrealistic prospect, but the Mediterranean side look solid in third place, a home match in the first round of play-offs.
Perpignan were whitewashed earlier in the season in the reverse fixture, a game that started the home side's dreadful slump, and the Catalans can prove a point this weekend if they can gain revenge, and perhaps turn round their form for the final run in. Perpignan by 5.
