Top 14 Preview: Round 10
With just one week until the Heineken Cup rears its head, French protagonists will be eager to go into the Top 14 break on a high.
With just one week until the Heineken Cup rears its head for another year, French protagonists will look to go into the Top 14 mini-break on a high.
The big games come at Stade Ernest-Wallon and Stade de France with Toulouse against Perpignan and Stade Français vs Clermont standing out.
Out of the fixtures, not one will be refereed by a Frenchman as it seems final preparations are also ongoing for officials pre the Heineken Cup.
Fixtures:
Friday, November 4
Brive v Racing Métro
Saturday, November 5
Toulouse v Perpignan
Bordeaux-Bègles v Castres
Lyon v Montpellier
Toulon v Agen
Biarritz v Bayonne
Stade Français v Clermont
Standings:
1. Clermont Auvergne 35
2. Toulouse 32
3. Castres 31
4. Toulon 28
5. Agen 24
6. Racing Metro 21
7. Perpignan 18
8. Brive 18
9. Stade Francais 16
10. Bayonne 15
11. Montpellier 14
12. Bordeaux-Begles 13
13. Lyon 12
14. Biarritz 10
Previews:
Brive v Racing Métro at Stade Amédée-Domenech
Racing-Métro will no doubt be buoyed by their away success at Castres last Friday and subsequently should fancy their chances on the road once again this week. What may also give them an extra leg-up is the fact they have beaten Brive in their last two meetings, the last being a 10-18 success in 2009/10's season. If Racing can win, they should go fifth.
Prediction: They have done it before, why not again? Racing by 4!
Kick-off: 20:45
Referee: Greg Garner (England)
Assistant referees: Jean-Luc Rebollal, Dominique Parrini
Television match official: Bernard Dal Maso
Saturday
Toulouse v Perpignan at Stade Ernest-Wallon
Toulouse have the best attacking record in the competition this season with 24 scores while Perpignan are only on seven. And with a record of 18 straight home victories over their rivals, things are looking pretty rosy for the rouge et noir going into Saturday's fixture at Stade Ernest-Wallon. Toulouse will be looking to continue to build momentum before opening up their Heineken Cup by hosting Gloucester while it is Amlin Challenge Cup rugby for USAP.
Prediction: The hosts will be too strong on home soil. Toulouse by 12!
Kick-off: 14:05
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garces, Patrick Beuriot
Television match officials: Gérard Borreani
Bordeaux-Bègles v Castres at Stade André Moga
Bordeaux come into this fixture with fresh legs following their game against Lyon being called off due to their opponents suffering from an outbreak of parotiditis. Their rivals this week are seemingly going from strength to strength, despite that home loss to Racing-Metro, as they head to Heineken Cup action currently lying in third place in the Top 14 standings. They will fancy their chances of a victory here ahead of taking on the Scarlets.
Prediction: Castres by 10!
Kick-off: 14:15
Referee: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Assistant referees: Sébastien Cloute, Christophe Clavere
Television match official: Lauren Valin
Lyon v Montpellier at Stade Matmut
For a second week running, Lyon have been forced to call a Top 14 fixture due to illness.
Toulon v Agen at Stade Mayol
During pre-season, Toulon would have highlighted this fixture as nothing less than a five-point maximum. But the form of Agen has seen the so-called minnows sitting just four points off their hosts on Saturday. Agen come into this game after edging past Montpellier.
Even better news for the heavyweight side is that Bakkies Botha was on Thursday given the green light to complete his move to Stade Mayol while veteran second-row forward Simon Shaw's possible move is still in the offing. Imagine those two packing down in the middle?
Prediction: Toulon will have too much – by 20!
Kick-off: 14:15
Referee: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Cédric Marchat, Laurent Sclafer
Television match officials: Bruno Bessot
Biarritz v Bayonne at Parc des Sports Aquiléra
Bayonne enter this clash on a high after being Perpignan last weekend in a fixture that saw Cedric Heymans make his debut for the club following the veteran's return from the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. And they could have another international in their midst on Saturday as winger Joe Rokocoko arrived earlier this week. Biarritz are in a rut right now and must be reeling after their 41-0 negative to table-toppers Clermont. BO are sitting dead last.
Prediction: On form it has to be Bayonne by about 7!
Kick-off: 15:30
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Christophe Berdos, Jean-Michel Schutz
Television match official: Eric Gonthier
Stade Français v Clermont at Stade de France
Clermont were this week boosted by the news that head coach Vern Cotter had signed a contract extension, which will keep him at the club until 2014. Cotter's outfit come into this fixture on the back of a resounding 41-0 win over a struggling Biarritz side but will face a sterner test this week. Clermont have been superb this season and will want to translate their domestic form into next week's Heineken Cup opener against Ulster at Ravenhill.
Meanwhile, the Parisians are ninth in the standings after losing narrowly away to Toulouse last weekend. They are set for another term in the Amlin Challenge Cup too as their slide down the French pecking order has seemingly not been a momentary blip. Stade Français will an old face this week as Benjamin Kayser, their former hooker, runs out in yellow. They are however boosted by the returns of Sergio Parisse and Felipe Contepomi from the RWC.
Prediction: Home advantage and the return of key players will help the Paris outfit, but not enough. Clermont by 3!
Kick-off: 16:15
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona, Christophe Malterre
Television match official: Jean-Marie Piraveau
By Adam Kyriacou