Top 14 battle lines are drawn

France's Ligue Nationale de Rugby has announced the calendar for the 2008/2009 season with some mouth-watering fixtures on the opening day and a late finish to the season – again.

France's Ligue Nationale de Rugby has announced the calendar for the 2008/2009 season with some mouth-watering fixtures on the opening day and a late finish to the season – again.

France's premier domestic competition kicks off on Tuesday August 26, with last season's headline-grabbers centre stage. Last season's top-of-the-table finishers and losing finalists Clermont will travel south to newly promoted Toulon to take on their armada of foreign imports in a game that could set the tone for the rest of the season.

Fans will not have to wait long for the much anticipated showdown between former All Blacks scrum-halves Justin Marshall and Byron Kelleher as champions Toulouse begin their defence of the Bouclier de Brennus with the tricky trip to Montpellier who have been bolstered by a few new étrangères themselves.

Clermont will be looking forward to hosting Toulouse in a rematch of last year's final in Round Four. The rouge et noires travel to Clermont on weekend of September 12-13 in the first clash between the 'Big four.'

The Stade de France should see it's first big spectacle in Round eight when Toulouse will be hosted by Stade Français on the weekend of October 24-25.

Perpignan, Stade Français and Biarritz will all hold realistic hopes of making the play-offs but Toulouse and Clermont will once again start as favourites for the title. Brive have been on a major recruitment drive in the off-season and could be a dark horse for a semi-final spot.

Mont-de-Marsan won promotion by the skin of their teeth and face an uphill battle to stay in the top flight, as do Dax who should have been relegated last season but for Albi's financial misdemeanours.

The curtain will come down on the new season with the Final at the Stade de France on June 6 2009, meaning France coach Marc Lièvremont will have little or no time to work with his top players before leaving for the June Tests in New Zealand on June 13.

Round One:
August 26 2008

Perpignan v Brive
Castres v Bayonne
Dax v Stade Français
Toulon v Clermont
Montpellier v Toulouse
Montauban v Mont-de-Marsan
Biarritz v Bourgoin

The complete list of fixtures will updated in the Top 14 section this week