Top 14 preview: Round 12
The match of the week sees Biarritz host Stade Français. Leaders Toulouse travel to Bourgoin in the weekend's other big match. The derby match between Castres and Albi should be a battle royal.
The match of the week sees Biarritz host Stade Français. Leaders Toulouse travel to Bourgoin in the weekend's other big match.The derby match between Castres and Albi should be a battle royal.
Fixtures:
Friday 29 February
Montauban – Montpellier
Saturday 1 March
Biarritz РStade Fran̤ais
Albi – Castres
Auch – Brive
Clermont – Bayonne
Perpignan – Dax
Bourgoin – Toulouse
Table after Round 11:
1 Toulouse 48
2 Stade Francais 38
3 Clermont Auvergne 37
4 Biarritz 31
5 Bayonne 28
6 Montpellier 26
7 Bourgoin 24
8 Perpignan 24
9 Montauban 22
10 Castres 22
11 Albi 21
12 Brive 18
13 Dax 14
14 Auch 9
Friday 29 February
Montauban v Montpellier
After starting the season off in fine form, Montauban have only won once in six weeks and have lost their last four matches.
Against a Montpellier team that has been playing and travelling well, the home side will be hard-pressed to get a decent result.
Montpellier are only five points behind Biarritz in the elusive 'top four' and could seriously advance their case for a spot in Europe with a win.
Montpellier will be feeling very good about themselves after four of their players were named in the latest French squad.
Louis Picamoles is out with a shoulder injury but François Trinh-Duc, Julien Tomas and Fulgence Ouedraogo will be looking to show the form that gained them selection.
The club from the Herault are resting lock Michel Macurdy, centre Rickus Lubbe and loose-forward Warren Britz. As a result Johan Wasserman, winger Frikkie Welsh and lock Drickus Hancke will make the journey to Montauban.
Eugene Van Staden, David Bortolussi, Joan Caudullo, Sébastien Petit, Didier Chouchan and Clément Baïocco are all injured.
Kick-off: 20:30 (19:30 GMT)
Referee: Jérôme Garces
Touch judges: Gilbert Darrieutort, Claude Tajan
Assessor: Michel Sicard, Serge Marzullo
Television match official: Daniel Gillet
Saturday 1 March
Biarritz v Stade Français
This is without doubt the biggest game of the weekend. It will be the ninth match between the rivals, Biarritz having won six.
Both teams failed to make it past the pool stages in the Heineken Cup and have placed all their eggs in the Top 14 basket.
Biarritz are fourth but only three points clear of Bayonne in 'Heineken Cup qualification zone' after losing to Bourgoin last week.
The Basques should be a different side this week with Dimitri Yachvili and Damien Traille back, which makes for a mouth-watering midfield battle against the star-studded Stade Français team.
Easy winners away to Castres last week, Stade will have their tails up. Second on the log and unbeaten this year they start a series of matches that will see them play Perpignan, Clermont, leaders Toulouse and then Bayonne. In other words, all four of the other teams in the top five. They'll need all the confidence they can muster.
The club from the capital will be without Mauro Bergamasco who was found guilty for eye gouging while playing for Italy and will miss the rest of the season.
The Parisian side's president, Max Guazzini, has been very vocal about how unfair the sanction is on the club. Cliff Milton, who had a good game last week, is injured.
Kick-off: 15:00 (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Jean-Pierre Matheu
Touch judges: Fernand Pereira, Guy Pince
Assessor: Jean-Claude Legendre, Joël Dume
Television match official: Daniel Dartigeas
Clermont Auvergne v Bayonne
Bayonne only need a few points to break into the top four, but don't seem to be backing themselves to do it, at least not this week. The Basque team travels to Clermont with a team that is far from their strongest.
The home team however have brought out all their big guns. Only a point behind Stade on the log, Clermont are eyeing second place.
A victory against Bayonne will be step closer to sealing an almost certain semi-final berth, with only half the season gone.
Kick-off: 17:30 (16:30 GMT)
Referee: Bruno Bessot
Touch judges: Didier Martinaud, Alain Rongier
Assessor: Richard Senssac, Patrick Robin
Television match official: Gérard Borreani
Bourgoin v Toulouse
Bourgoin would like to think they have turned their season around. Winners of a seven-try festival against Biarritz last week they've climbed back into mid-table.
The team in sky blue will need all their wits about them however as their visitors, Toulouse are in awesome form. Morgan Parra will be back for Bourgoin as will Toulouse's armada of internationals.
Yann David has just received his first call-up to the national squad and has recovered from a calf injury to be in the starting line-up for the home side. Up against the world class Toulouse back-three, we'll get an idea of just how good he is.
Kick-off: 20:30 (19:30 GMT)
Referee: Christophe Berdos
Touch judges: Jean-Luc Gonzalez, Hervé Gilard
Assessor: Pierre Beneuf, Patrick Thomas
Television match official: Jean-Claude Levrier
Auch v Brive
Auch cannot afford to lose this bottom of the table battle if they want to maintain any hope of staying in the top flight. Last on the log, they host twelfth-placed Brive who must still be feeling bruised from the 48 point whipping they received at Toulouse last week.
Auch got a bonus point against Perpignan last week, it'll mean nothing if they can't score any at home.
Kick-off: 17:30 (16:30 GMT)
Referee: Stéphan Pomarede
Touch judges: Bernard Vals, Christophe Malterre
Assessor: Yves Peyrelongue, Michel Messan
Television match official: Eric Soulan
Albi v Castres
Separated by only about 40km and only 1 point on the Top 14 table, the Tarn region rivals will have everything to play for.
Both teams lost heavily last week, and will want to jump-start their fading season. A win in the local derby would do just that.
The losers will slide dangerously close to the relegation zone. Expect emotions to run high.
Kick-off: 17:30 (16:30 GMT)
Referee: Hervé Dubes
Touch judges: Frédéric Ducatez, Gines Cerezuela
Assessor: Jean-Marie Peyramaure, Marc Daroque
Television match official: Jean-Marie Piraveau
Perpignan v Dax
Second to last Dax are another team desperate for a win. Perpignan will want to score a few points to anchor their mid-table position before they travel to Paris next week. Expect the Catalans to win.
Kick-off: 17:30 (16:30 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite
Touch judges: Jean-Paul Vermande, Pierre-Marie Masson
Assessor: Patrice Frantschi, Daniel Pruvot
Television match official: Jean-Christophe Gastou