Top 14 Round 19: Preview
Third-placed Toulon will look to cement their place in the Top 14 play-off places on Friday when they tackle Montpellier.
Last Updated: 02/03/12 9:47am
Third-placed Toulon will look to cement their place in the Top 14 play-off places on Friday when they tackle Montpellier at Stade Felix Mayol.
If the fact there is just four points separating Toulon from Montpellier down in fifth wasn't enough to add spice to the encounter, there has been an underlying tension between the two rivals.
The last time these teams met there was a punch up at the post-game function that left Montpellier loose forward Rémy Martin with stitches on his lip and Olivier Missoup with a four-month ban.
On top of that, Toulon were left unhappy when Mamuka Gorgodze elected to stay with Montpellier despite having signed a pre-contract deal.
Toulon have named Jonny Wilkinson in their starting XV for the encounter, although the former England fly-half will have a late fitness test on a sprained ankle.
Santiago Fernandez will be at fly-half for Montpellier for whom Gorgodze returns to the starting XV.
Saturday sees a clash of the giants as leaders Toulouse visit second-placed Clermont.
Clermont are unbeaten at home - in any competition - since November 2009 and will be eager to close the eight-point gap on the defending champions
However with France playing Ireland 24 hours later, one of the biggest games on the Top 14 calendar has been deprived of no less than 14 internationals.
Quest
Clermont will be missing six Les Bleus, including most of their first-choice backline, while Toulouse will have to make do without seven (eight if you include Maxime Medard, whose season came to an end at Murrayfield last weekend.)
Biarritz continue their quest to avoid relegation but have been forced to move their fixture with Bordeaux-Begles up the highway to Dax.
Biarritz serve their one-match stadium ban for the incidents surrounding the brawl in the Basque derby against Bayonne.
Biarritz are desperate to climb out of the relegation places but it won't be easy as they face a Bordeaux side that lies 14 points ahead of them in the standings.
The good news for the Basques is that fly-half Julien Peyrelongue is fit to play but Dimitri Yachvili is doubtful however.
Racing Metro will look to put their off field turmoil behind them and do Biarritz a favour when they tackle Bayonne.
Victory over Lyon last time out was Racing's first win of 2012 and halted their slide away from the play-off places.
But they face another team on an upward trend with Bayonne tasting victory for the first time since November against Stade Français before drawing with Clermont - two very solid results.
However a trip to the capital does not bide well for the Basques, who have yet to win away from home in eight attempts this season.
Bayonne will be without French international Cédric Heymans for a month due to a fractured hand.
Bottom club Lyon are expected to take another step towards the drop when they travel to fourth-placed Castres.
Castres is one of those places that struggling teams just do not want to visit. The hosts have lost just once at Stade Pierre Antoine this season (in the dying seconds to Racing) and average over 27 points per game on home soil.
Defeat away to Agen last time out put a serious dent in Castres' hopes of finishing in the top four and getting a home play-off. Expect a reaction.
Survival
For Lyon, it's all or nothing as a return to the ProD2 beckons.
Brive are fighting for survival at home to a Stade Français side that will be missing their French internationals.
Brive are breathing just a little easier after their victory over Lyon last week and will fancy their chances of a repeat against a side that has not won on the road in over three months.
But Brive are far from safe as they lie just four points clear of the relegation places.
Stade are looking to make amends for the last-minute draw they gave away to Toulon, which has left them trailing in the play-off race.
Stade will be missing four French internationals and Sergio Parisse is a doubtful starter.
For Brive, Ronnie Cooke has a fractured cheek bone and is set to be sidelined for a month.
Agen will look to build on their recent win over Castres when they face Perpignan.
That victory was Agen's first of 2012, while the Catalans ended their slump with a convincing victory over Biarritz and a draw with Racing.
James Hook is expected to start for the visitors, who also welcome back Kisi Pulu and Jerome Porical.
Agen will look to the league's top marksman, Conrad Barnard, to keep the scoreboard ticking.
