Top 14: Round Seven preview

There are three huge games in France this weekend as Toulon face Clermont in Marseille, Stade Francais visit Perpignan and Toulouse host league leaders Bayonne.

Despite neither Toulon nor Clermont having had the start to the season they had hoped for, their clash at the 60,000-seater Stade Vélodrome - home of Olympique de Marseille - is the headline fixture of Round Seven.

Perpignan and Stade Français find themselves in the wrong half of the standings, adding extra spice to an already much-anticipated clash.

The weekend's action kicks off in Toulouse, where surprise leaders Bayonne's will be out to prove their strong start to the season is no fluke.

After their third straight loss on the road in Biarritz last week, Toulouse know they must secure four points at a sold-out Stade Ernest Wallon before the Heineken Cup and Six Nations begin.

Shaky start

Bayonne will arrive bubbling with confidence after taking five victories from their opening six matches. A solid win over the champions Clermont last week showed that the Basques are the real deal. With an upset win in Toulon already under their belts, they will play without any pressure.

Toulouse are resting hooker William Servat, who hurt his knee last week. Loose forward Louis Picamoles is, however, back from injury. Prop Dan Human and centre Florian Fritz should be fit to play but front rower Benoit Lecouls and back row Grégory Lamboley are both doubtful.

Bayonne have bolstered their pack - a sign of their ambitions on the road - while fly-half Sébasiten Fauqué will make his first appearance this season and is included in the starting XV.

Agen sent a below-strength team to Toulon last week and were swept aside in consummate fashion. Back at home and with a few first-choice players back the team, the newcomers will be looking for their second win of the season against a Montpellier side that has struggle on the road in recent years.

Poor travellers they may have been in the past, but Montpellier's metamorphosis under Fabien Galthié leads one to believe that the past has little bearing on the current side. A shock win in Perpignan is a case in point.

Few would have expected to see Les Héraultais lying third after six matches, but Fulgence Ouedraogo & Co have been full value for their four wins.

Outclassed but tenacious in Paris last week, La Rochelle return to home soil against Biarritz hoping to add a third win to home victories over Castres and Bourgoin.

But after a shaky start to the season, Biarritz look to be on an upward curve as illustrated by their deserved wins over Stade Français and Toulouse.

But BO have yet to win on the road this term - in fact they have not won away from home in nine attempts - and with three consecutive away games next up, this is probably their best chance at getting points before the end of the month.

Perpignan v Stade Français is one of the biggest games of this season, not just this weekend.

Having lost twice to Perpignan last season, Stade Français will fancy their chances of turning the tables on the Catalans, who are having their worst start to the season in years.

Attack

Plagued by injury, Perpignan have failed to impress and despite a laboured win over Bourgoin last week, are languishing in 11th place.

Stade Français, on the other hand, have shown some very promising signs, especially on attack, but their second-half meltdown against Brive last week raised more serious questions about their ability to challenge the big clubs in high-pressure matches.

Loose forward Juan Manuel Leguizamon's 80-day ban for eye-gouging hasn't done much for morale either

Separated by a single point in a congested mid-table, Castres and Brive face-off in the Tarn, where the hosts have lost just once in 16 games.

Castres took a positive mindset to Montpellier last week and came back empty handed and dropped to 10th place as a consequence.

Brive will arrive full of confidence after their bonus-point win over Toulon was backed up their stunning comeback to shock Stade Français last week. Les Corréziens are however expected to give a couple of senior players a rest.

Depending on how Bayonne fare in Toulouse, Racing Metro could finish the weekend as the championship leaders with victory over Bourgoin.

A couple bonus points picked up on the road and an unbeaten record at home make les Franciliens one of the form teams of the tournament.

It would be tough to bet against Pierre Berbizier's men when they face the championships' tail-enders, but lest we forget that Bourgoin beat Racing twice last season.

Racing will be without Juan Martin Hernandez, who is out for two weeks, and Sebastien Chabal, who is expected to be rested due to a cracked rib.

Hapless

Bourgoin will have to make do with full-back Silvère Tian, who has not recovered from an ankle sprain suffered last week in Perpignan. Scrum-half Mickaël Forest is still not match fit.

Good news however is that hooker Olivier Milloud is back in training and South African prop Albertus Buckle is fit and has been included in the match day squad.

A lot is expected of this rematch of last year's humdinger of a semi-final between Toulon and Clermont this weekend, won at the death by Clermont.

Both sides have been far from their top form so far this season, but Toulon's bonus-point win against a hapless Agen outfit last week would have been a huge boost for morale.

Director of rugby Philippe Saint-André has highlighted this game as a potential turning point in Toulon's season and has included all the big names in his squad.

As for the champions, les Jaunards were beaten for the third time this season in Bayonne last week as they once again failed to find their rhythm.

Scrum-half Morgan Parra is back in the Clermont squad along with second row Thibault Privat. French international lock Julien Pierre and former Springbok Marius Joubert are still injured.

Toulon lock Dean Schofield has been pulled from the squad after hurting a thigh in training on Tuesday. He'll be out of action for between two and four weeks. Jocelino Suta is however fit to replace him. Scrum-half Matt Henjak (calf) is the most notable absentee from Toulon's group.