Top 14: Round Five preview
Biarritz are making a habit of starting seasons poorly - and things will not get any easier as they face table-topping Stade Francais.
Last Updated: 03/09/10 3:04pm
Biarritz are making a habit of starting seasons poorly - and things will not get any easier for them as they face table-topping Stade Francais on Sunday.
Uneasiness among the Biarritz staff and three straight losses have shaken the confidence of the players and fans alike. An unsuccessful merry-go-round at fly-half hasn't help with continuity either.
Stuck at the wrong end on the standings and with Toulouse rolling into town next week, it's vital that Biarritz get there act together this weekend as relying Dimitri Yaschvilli's boot for points is not a long-term solution.
Stalwart international Damien Traille has confirmed that he will not be fit for Sunday which is another bitter pill to swallow for the Basques.
Stade Français are certainly scoring a lot of tries under new coach Michael Cheika but the second-half meltdown that almost cost them the game against Castres has rightly set the alarm bell ringing.
Bourgoin may have got their heads above water with their first win on Wednesday but in-from Bayonne will be a much tougher challenge than Agen.
Bayonne have been a revelation this season. On pure sporting terms they should have been relegated in June but three months later and they are sitting pretty at the top end of the standings.
The Basques showed real grit to come from beyond and edge out Brive on Wednesday and the sense of belief that was missing last season is clearly strong amongst Thomas Lièvremont's team.
Impressive
Clermont will look to halt Montpellier's impressive start to the season at Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin.
Les Jaunards will be hoping for a repeat of the 38-point hiding they handed Montpellier in March.
However, such a one-sided affair is unlikely considering Montpellier's extraordinary run of late which has seen them topple Racing, Perpignan and Toulouse in successive games.
Coach Fabien Galtié has Montpol playing some good-looking rugby but a trip to champs won't be easy by any means.
Clermont's Julien Pierre tore a muscle on Wednesday, so he'll watch from the stands where he will be joined by Brent Russell (hamstring) and Jason White (concussion).
You wouldn't want to be wearing a La Rochelle jersey on Sunday as Toulouse look to bounce back from Wednesday's shock defeat.
Smarting from their one-point loss to Montpellier, Toulouse will be hunting a bonus point against the newcomers.
Guy Novès' European champions should be wary of being overconfident however as les Maritimes have shown that they can compete at this level.
Few would have expected the smallest club in the league to be above the likes of Perpignan and Biarritz in the standings after four rounds but La Rochelle's enthusiasm and commitment has been a commendable.
Their defence has been solid too, having conceded just one try in their three homes games.
Castres came within inches of a stunning comeback win on Wednesday against Stade Francais - so they will look to bounce back against Racing Metro on Sunday.
The home side will be one of those teams who might struggle to be competitive for a third time in little over a week. But after resting kicker Romain Teulet and fly-half Cameron McIntyre midweek, Castres can be expected to revert to their no-frills yet highly effective gameplan.
Expansive
Racing Metro's fourth away game in five rounds finds them just a single point behind the leaders after dominating champions Clermont on Wednesday.
Test veterans Sebastien Chabal and Lionel Nallet sat out training of Friday, suggesting they might not play on Sunday. Scrum-half Nicolas Durand has been ruled out but Juan Martin Hernandez is expected to start for the first time at fly-half.
Former champions Perpignan may have been decimated by injuries in the early season but they should still be too strong for new-boys Agen.
Perpignan's injury situation went from very bad to even worse when France centre David Marty limped off on Wednesday.
Agen's expansive game will suffer if they cannot get their hands on the ball, and with some tired legs they could well struggle against a USAP team that still has plenty of class.
Despite winning in La Rochelle on Wednesday, Toulon will not be overjoyed by the fact that they had to rely on Jonny Wilkinson's drop-goal prowess to get them the result - and they will be under pressure to improve against Brive.
Just three tries from four starts (including one penalty try) is a very poor return for a team that had promised to play expansive rugby at the start of the season.
The excuse of the new players needing time to gel holds some validity, but not for very much longer.
Brive will be crushed by their one-point loss to Bayonne after having led for much of the match. The Correziens don't have many home games in the first half of the season, so they need to get something out of this one.