Top 14: Round 18 preview

There is a collection of blockbuster clashes in France this weekend as heavyweights Toulouse and Clermont go head-to-head, Biarritz visit Stade de France while Racing meet USAP.

One match has fallen foul to the weather however, Bayonne's relegation clash at Bourgoin postponed due to the icy conditions.

Win or lose in Montpellier, leaders Castres look set to easily qualify for the play-offs.

Toulon have an ideal opportunity to break back into a qualifying position against Montauban and could move ahead of rivals, Biarritz and Stade Français.

Elsewhere, Brive will be looking to sneak back into contention away to Albi.

USA Perpignan v Racing Metro 92

Are the wheels coming off the Perpignan bus? Consecutive defeats to Munster (twice), Toulouse and Brive have certainly dented the Catalans' confidence as the defending champs have dropped to fifth in the standings.

In fact USAP have not tasted victory since December 5, so it's time to se relancer as they say in France.

But Stade Aimé Giral welcomes another team looking for a fresh start. Racing's shock loss to Bourgoin ended a nine-match winning streak, so the last thing les Franciliens will want is to start stringing together losses.

Although both sides will have had less than five days to recuperate, the pressure will be on Perpignan, who trail their visitors by three points.

The hosts will be without Maxime Mermoz, who is out for a month, but David Marty has been passed fit. Nicolas Mas and Jerome Porical are back but Philip Burger is sick.

For Racing, Lionel Nallet missed training on Wednesday because of a sore shoulder but should be fit to start. Andrew Mehrtens is back on the bench after a poor showing from Fabien Fortassin last week. Frans Steyn and Andrea Masi will continue their partnership in midfield.

Montpellier HRC v Castres Olympique

Can anyone stop Castres? Four points clear at the top of the standings and with five wins from their last six games, the Tarnais will travel to the Mediterranean full of confidence.

The league leaders have managed to bring at least a bonus point home from every one of their road trips this season and nothing suggests that trend will end any time soon.

Montpellier do however have an impressive record at Yves Du Manoir where they have won six of their eight home games, beating the likes of Perpignan, Biarritz, Toulon and Clermont before coming from behind to upset Stade Français last week.

Castres will travel without injured fly-half Cameron McIntyre, who needs ten days off to recover from a bump to the knee.

CS Bourgoin-Jallieu P-P Aviron Bayonnais

The icy cold weather in Europe has resulted in Bayonne's trip to Bourgoin being postponed.

Bourgoin, who lie at the foot of the French alps, is covered in snow as is the pitch as Stade Pierre-Rajon.

Bourgoin had called on supporters to come down to the stadium and help out with snow clearing operation but a discouraging pitch inspection on Thursday afternoon in combination with forecasts of more snow have meant the game has been called off.

27 February, the day after France's Six Nations game with Wales, has been proposed as an alternative date.

RC Toulon v Montauban

After being given a rugby lesson in Clermont last week, Toulon will want to profit from the fact that their rivals (Stade Français and Biarritz) face each other and move back into the top six.

Failure to make the play-offs will come as a massive disappointment for Joe van Niekerk's team and victory on Saturday is a must if they are to remain in the race.

Unbeaten at Stade Felix Mayol this season, the home side will back themselves to pick up four points against Montauban. But that won't come easily. As Stade Français found out in last week's 6-all, Montauban will fight for every inch as they grapple to avoiding sliding into the relegation dogfight.

SCA Albi v CA Brive-Corrèze

A week after scoring a crucial bonus-point win over the champions, Brive can once again entertain hopes of competing for a place in Europe and the play-offs. Victory for les Corréziens will put them right back into the mix.

As for Albi, their goose seems to be cooked. After conceding 40+ points in both of their last two games and now twelve points adrift of the relegation threshold, the ProD2 beckons.

Stade Français v Biarritz Olympique

In front of a sold-out Stade de France, both Biarritz and their Parisian hosts will be playing for their respective futures somewhat.

Fired by Biarritz last season after a while at the helm, which included two French league titles, Stade Français boss Jacques Delmas' coaching future looked pretty bleak until Ewen McKenzie was relieved of his duties in the capital, handing Delmas a second a chance to revive his career.

Now he must face his former team without a handful of key elements in his side. The names Bergamasco, Oelschig, Liebenberg, Dupuy and Parisse will be absent from the Stade Français team sheet on Saturday at a stadium that has not smiled on the men in pink in recent years.

With their Heineken Cup campaign looking good, Biarritz travel to Paris with far less pressure than their hosts. The return to fitness of their attacking back three (Bolakoro-Balshaw-Ngwenya) corresponds to the return of Imanol Harinordoquy and Florian Faure to the loose trio.

Stade Toulousain v Clermont Auvergne

It's tough to talk about any clash between these sides without remembering that epic final in 2008 - arguably the match of the decade.

Last year's semi-final wasn't nearly as good, but in front of a 37,000-strong crowd, with both teams coming off the back of wins and looking to set the tone ahead of crucial Heineken Cup games a next week, chances are we're in for a cracker on Sunday.

Just a few days before Marc Lièvremont announces his squad for the Six Nations, it's the perfect opportunity for certain players to shine.

Clermont are in great form. After hammering Brive and Toulon les Jaunards will travel to Toulouse confident they can repeat September's victory over their arch rivals.

Toulouse have had a number of false dawns this season but with their injury worries seemingly behind them, the Big Red Machine is starting to gather momentum. The hosts have not lost in Toulouse since April 2008 when they went down to....Clermont.

With loads of snow falling over the Auvergne this week, Clermont have had to complete most of their preparations indoors.