Battle in Biarritz: Stade Français roll into town on Sunday
It's panic stations at Biarritz, who must host Top 14 leaders Stade Français on Sunday while Montpellier go hunting another big scalp in Clermont.
Sunday is set to be tough day for the smaller clubs whose limited resources will be stretched to the maximum in the third matchday in eight days.
Self-proclaimed favourites Toulon have an impressive squad on paper but have failed to impress on the pitch so far this season - at home at least - and will be hoping to continue their winning form on the road when they travel to Brive.
La Rochelle have surprised everyone but face they toughest test of their top flight credentials when they head to Toulouse.
Elsewhere, in-from Bayonne visit struggling Bourgoin while Castres face Parisian opposition for a second straight week when they host Racing-Métro.
Fixtures:
Sunday , September 5
Castres v Racing-Métro
Clermont v Montpellier
Toulouse v La Rochelle
Bourgoin v Bayonne
Agen v Perpignan
Brive v Toulon
Biarritz v Stade Français
Standings:
1 Stade Français 13
2 Bayonne 13
3 Montpellier 13
4 Racing-Métro 12
5 Toulouse 11
6 Clermont 11
7 Castres 10
8 Toulon 10
9 La Rochelle 9
10 Perpignan 8
11 Biarritz 6
12 Brive 6
13 Agen 5
14 Bourgoin 4
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Previews:
Castres Olympique v Racing-Métro 92
Stade Pierre Antoine, Castres
Castres literally came within inches of a stunning comeback win on Wednesday. Despite losing to Stade Français in an eight-try thriller, les Castrais will take heart from their continued improvement since their opening day shocker in La Rochelle.
The home side will be one of those teams who might struggle to be competitive for a third time in little over a week. But after resting kicking Romain Teulet and fly-half Cameron McIntyre midweek, Castres can be expected to revert to their no-frills yet highly effective gameplan.
Racing-Métro's fourth away game in five rounds finds them just a single point behind the leaders after dominating champions Clermont on Wednesday.
Test veterans Sebastien Chabal and Lionel Nallet sat out training of Friday, suggesting they might not play on Sunday. Scrum-half Nicolas Durand has been ruled out but Juan Martin Hernandez is expected to start for the first time at fly-half.
Results last season: Castres won 9-6 at home; 20-20 draw in Paris
Prediction: It'll be close but Racing have yet to prove they can be consistent, so we'll back the home side. Castres by a whisker
Kick-off: 15:00 (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Pascal Gauzere
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ASM Clermont Auvergne v Montpellier HR
Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, Clermont Ferrand
Clermont had the luxury of being able to line up an entirely new starting XV on Wednesday, but the champions' second-stringers failed to front up to Racing, especially in the set pieces.
Back home and with the first team set to take over, Les Jaunards will be looking for a repeat of the 38-point hiding they handed Montpellier at Marcel Michelin last March.
Such a one-sided affair is unlikely however considering Montpellier's extraordinary run of late which has seen them topple Racing, Perpignan and Toulouse in successive games!
Coach Fabien Galtié has Montpol playing some good-looking rugby but a trip to champs won't be easy by any means.
Clermont have openly admitted that they have a vast margin for improvement after a lukewarm start to the season but it's just a matter of time before the tries start flooding in.
Clermont Julien Pierre tore a muscle on Wednesday, so he'll watch from the stands where he will be joined by Brent Russell (hamstring) and Jason White (concussion).
Results last season: Montpellier won 16-9 at home; Clermont won 41-3 at home
Prediction: Few teams can compete with Clermont at home and the list doesn't include Montpellier. Clermont to win by ten points
Kick-off: 15:00 (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Patrick Pechambert
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Stade Toulousain v Stade Rochelais Atlantique
Stade Ernest Wallon, Toulouse
You wouldn't want to be wearing a La Rochelle jersey on Sunday.
Smarting from their one-point loss to Montpellier, Toulouse will be hunting a bonus point against the newcomers.
Guy Novès' European champions should be wary of being overconfident however as les Maritimes have shown that they can compete at this level.
Few would have expected the smallest club in the league to be above the likes of Perpignan and Biarritz in the standings after four rounds but La Rochelle's enthusiasm and commitment has been a commendable.
Their defence has been solid too, having conceded just one try in their three homes games.
A trip to Toulouse is a different kettle of fish however. France's lightweights against the kings of Europe? We can see only one result.
Prediction: On paper, this shouldn't be much of a contest. Toulouse to win with a bonus point
Kick-off: 15:00 (13:00 GMT)
Referee: David Rosich
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CS Bourgoin-Jallieu v Aviron Bayonnais
Stade Pierre Rajon, Bourgoin
Bourgoin got their heads above water with their first win on Wednesday but in-from Bayonne will be a much tougher challenge than Agen.
Bayonne have been a revelation this season. On pure sporting terms they should have been relegated in June but three months later and they are sitting pretty at the top end of the standings.
The Basques showed real grit to come from beyond and edge out Brive on Wednesday and the sense of belief that was missing last season is clearly strong amongst Thomas Lièvremont's team.
Results last season: Bayonne won 53-6 at home; Bourgoin won 12-6 at home
Prediction: Bourgoin should not be underestimated at home, but on current form they'll struggle.Bayonne by five points
Kick-off:15:00 (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Laurent Cardona
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SU Agen v USA Perpignan
Stade Armandie, Agen
'Clumsy but reassured' read one headline regarding Perpignan's hard-fought win over Biarritz on Wednesday.
The former champions have been decimated by injuries in the early season and their shock home loss to Montpellier was a major knock for morale.
Victory over BO is significant in that it saw the Catalan pack rule the tight stuff which will come as a relief for coach Jacques Brunel.
Agen's expansive game will suffer if they cannot get their hands on the ball, and with some tired legs they could well struggle against a USAP team that still has plenty of class.
Perpignan's injury situation went from very bad to even worse when French international centre David Marty limped off on Wednesday. He'll be out for three months.
Prediction: Agen don't have the firepower to cope with Perpignan's big guns. Perpignan to win by six points
Kick-off:15:00 (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Eric Gauzins
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CA Brive Corrèze v RC Toulon
Stade Amédée Domenech, Brive
Despite winning in La Rochelle on Wednesday, Toulon will not be overjoyed by the fact that they had to rely (again) on Jonny Wilkinson's drop-goal prowess to get them the result.
Just three tries from four starts (including one penalty try) is a very poor return for a team that had promised to play expansive rugby at the start of the season.
The excuse of the new players needing time to gel holds some validity, but not for very much longer.
Brive will be crushed by their one-point loss to Bayonne after having led for much of the match. The Correziens don't have many home games in the first half of the season, so they need to get something out of this one.
Results last season: Toulon won both games :19-10 at home; 26-23 away
Prediction: It's just a matter of time before Toulon click. Toulon by a point or two
Kick-off:17:00 (15:00 GMT)
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal
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Biarritz Olympique v Stade Français Paris
Parc des Sports d'Aguilera, Biarritz
Biarritz are making a habit of starting seasons poorly. Uneasiness amongst the staff and three straight losses have shaken the confidence amongst the players and fans alike. An unsuccessful merry-go-round at fly-half hasn't help with continuity either.
Stuck at the wrong end on the standings and with Toulouse rolling into town next week, it's vital that Biarritz get there act together this weekend as relying Dimitri Yachvilli's boot for points is not a long-term solution.
Stalwart international Damien Traille has confirmed that he will not be fit for Sunday which is another bitter pill to swallow for the Basques.
Stade Français are certainly scoring a lot of tries under new coach Michael Cheika but the second-half meltdown that almost cost them the game against Castres has rightly set the alarm bell ringing.
"We have to work mentally so that the players stay alert. We'll take the positives out of the game and use them for Biarritz on Sunday," Cheika told Le Parisien newspaper.
"It was like two different matches either side of half time with two different faces too. It's a little bit symbolic in relation to our situation at the moment. Few people would have thought that we would have scored five tries against Castres, us included."
Results last season: Biarritz won 30-22; Stade Français won 25-15
Prediction: Things can only get better for the hosts. Biarritz to grind out a narrow win
Kick-off:20:45 (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite
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