Clermont face La Rochelle in thrilling finish to Top 14 regular season

A top-of-the-table clash between La Rochelle and Clermont headlines a thrilling finale to the Top 14 regular season with the battle for play-off and European spots adding extra spice.

La Rochelle, with 84 points and already guaranteed to finish top, travel to second-place Clermont who are chasing the second automatic semi-final place.

Montpellier, two points behind, are also bidding for a semi-final berth, with Toulon, Castres and Racing 92 rounding out the top six.

The top six teams enter the knockout stage, with teams finishing third to sixth playing quarter-finals.

La Rochelle, chasing a maiden Top 14 title, will be at full strength at Clermont, whose only domestic title came back in 2010.

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Paris giants Stade Francais and Racing 92's play-off hopes will go down to the wire after Stade defeated Racing 27-23 last weekend to keep their dream alive.

Champions Racing, in the sixth and final play-off spot with 58 points, just ahead of Stade, also with 58, host Bordeaux - live on Sky Sports 3 HD - with their Paris rivals travelling to Montpellier.

Montpellier's bid for the second automatic semi-final berth has been hit by a string of injuries with centre Vincent Martin out for the season with ruptured cruciate knee ligaments and Francois Steyn, Antoine Battut and Benjamin Fall also sidelined.

Toulon host eighth-place Pau, who are also chasing a play-off spot, and will Ma'a Nonu after he was cited for a bruising tackle against Bordeaux.

Pau flanker Pierrick Gunther warned to expect fireworks at his former side Toulon's Stade Mayol stronghold.

"It's like a final for us," he said. "It's an apotheosis. If we win, it's a dream come true. Some have won at the Mayol, why not us?"

Fallen giants Toulouse will be playing for nothing but pride at home against relegated southwestern rivals Bayonne.

The 19-time French champions will be absent from the play-offs for the first time in 41 years after last week's 57-7 thrashing by Castres.

"It's time for it to end so that we can ask ourselves the right questions and find the answers as to why we had a rotten season," said back Maxime Medard.

The match will also mark the departure of a host of 30-something players who last lifted the title back in 2012 including Thierry Dusautoir, Patricio Albacete, Gurthro Steenkamp, Census Johnston, Gregory Lamboley and Luke McAlister.