Top 14 Preview: Round 19
Smokin': Clermont are on the brink of a record breaking tenth consecutive win
Clermont are on the brink of setting a new Top 14 record while Dax and Albi face-off at the opposite end of the table.
Biarritz and Perpignan are still neck and neck in their race to secure a spot in the play-offs.
Montauban and Montpellier will attempt to close the gap on Castres as they grapple for Heineken cup qualification.
Fixtures:
Friday April 25
Montpellier v Stade Français
Saturday April 26
Bayonne v Bourgoin
Dax v Albi
Auch v Clermont
Montauban v Biarritz
Brive v Perpignan
Tuesday May 7
Castres v Toulouse
Table after Round 18
1. Clermont 71
2. Toulouse 66
3. Stade Français 57
4. Perpignan 53
5. Biarritz 52
6. Castres 46
7 Montauban 41
8 Montpellier 38
9. Brive 36
10. Bourgoin 36
11. Bayonne 33
12. Albi 31
13. Dax 22
14. Auch 14
Previews:
Montpellier v Stade Français
After a unconvincing home victory over Montauban last Saturday, les Stadistes will travel to Montpellier with a fair amount of circumspection.
It's been an emotional fortnight for the Parisians with the announcements of the departure of coach Fabien Galthié and the retirement of front row stalwart Pieter de Villiers. Interestingly Galthié has mentioned De Villiers amongst his possible successors.
Montpellier will want to lift themselves from a very disappointing loss to Albi last week.
Despite the return of French international fly-half François Trinh-Duc, the Montpellier back-line were unable to penetrate a motivated Albi defence.
Stade Français have seen Perpignan and Biarritz creep closer and closer to them over the past few weeks so they should have no lack of motivation either.
If Montpellier are to have any hope of qualifying for the Heineken Cup they must beat the defending Top 14 Champions. They will be without steadying influence of Argentinean Fédérico Todeschini.
The hero in Paris six days ago, Lionel Beauxis will not be on the bus to the South coast. Neither will full-back Ignacio Corleto - both are injured.
But Argentinean star Juan Martin Hernandez is back to take over the number ten jersey as is Mirco Bergamasco at centre. Englishman Christian Day should make his debut for the club as a medical joker in the second row.
Venue: Yves Manoir
Kick-off: 20:30 (18:30 GMT)
Referee: Bruno Bessot
Touch judges: Patrick Dellac, Didier Martinaud
Assessor: Michel Forget, Patrick Robin
Television match official: Yves Bressy
Bayonne v Bourgoin
In tenth and eleventh places respectively, Bourgoin and Bayonne are not enjoying the seasons they would have hoped for.
The home side have lost their last four encounters while Bourgoin have all but given up on repeating last year's exploit of qualifying for Europe. Injuries to star scrum-half Morgan Parra and a dip in the form of recently capped France centre Yann David have not helped the cause of the team in sky blue.
Bayonne's attention seems to have turned to next year already. Veteran centre Richard Dourthe has announced his retirement at the end of the season and will take up a role as the club's Director of Rugby and adviser to president Francis Salagoïty.
"I don't want people on the side of the field to say 'Richard is too old, he should quit'," the 33-year-old told the AFP.
Bourgoin were 15-10 winners when they hosted Bayonne earlier in the season.
Venue: Jean Dauger
Kick-off: 17:30 (15:30 GMT)
Referee: David Rosich
Touch judges: Claude Tajan, Fernand Pereira
Assessor: Jean-Paul Grellety, Roger Duhau
Television match official: Daniel Gillet
Dax v Albi
Dax have had every opportunity to keep their fight to stay in the Top 14 alive, but that boat might well have sailed with their crushing defeat to Brive last week. Their closest rivals are their visitors this week.
Albi will be buoyed by their stunning 25-12 win against Montpellier. Along with Brive's success, Albi's win has dragged Bayonne a step closer to joining the relegation battle.
If Dax can pull their socks up, and produce a similar performance to their near upset of Stade Français, there could some worried faces in the Basque country.
"[Dax] are not the only opposition in the race to stay up," Albi coach Eric Béchu told lesite.
"I read everywhere that it's a battle between Albi and Dax, but other clubs are in danger too. Bayonne, Bourgoin and Brive are also under threat."
Considering that Albi still have to host Bayonne and Auch and travel to Bourgoin they could be the rope that keeps that boat close enough to shore for Dax to board.
Dax are not about to give up either.
"I'm angry. We can't afford to produce performances like this," said Dax captain Thomas Lièvremont after their humiliating drubbing by Brive.
Venue: Maurice Boyeau
Kick-off: 17:30 (15:30 GMT)
Referee: Franck Maciello
Touch judges: Jean-Christophe Clot, Jean-Louis Fillon
Assessor: Michel Roger, Jean Lavergne
Television match official: Gérard Borreani
Auch v Clermont
Look out, this could be a cricket score. Top visits bottom as Clermont inch closer to breaking Stade Français's record of consecutive victories.
Having already equalled their Parisian rivals' feat of nine in a row, les Jaunards will surely set a new benchmark.
With Toulouse not playing in France this weekend, Clermont look set to open up a healthy lead at the top of the table.
Vern Cotter's team are not getting carried away though, and seeing the Toulouse injury list take on catastrophic proportions, the New Zealander has taken measures to avoid the same thing happening in Auvergne.
Prop Davit Zirakashvili, lock Thibault Privat, loose-forwards Elvis Vermeulen and Alexandre Audebert , Scrum-half Pierre Mignoni, fly-half Brock James and wing Napoleoni Nalaga will all be rested.
Mid-week Clermont announced they would go on a ten day off-season tour in August where they will face the United States national team, the Eagles, in Charleston. The event will be hosted in part by the club's founder and main commercial partner, French tyre company Michelin.
Venue: Moulias
Kick-off: 17:30 (15:30 GMT)
Referee: Eric Gauzins
Touch judges: Jean-Luc Gonzalez, Denis Grenouillet
Assessor: Francis Bourgade, Michel Messan
Television match official: Jean-Pierre Pellaprat
Brive v Perpignan
The Perpignan revival show rolls into another town. Undefeated in eight games, the Catalans continue their long distance battle with Biarritz for the last semi-final place.
That battle will take on a new dimension when Biarritz visit Perpignan next week. Both teams know that that game could go either way, making a win this week vital.
It won't be an easy task for Perpignan, however. They struggled to a 23-19 home victory against Brive in January and the hosts this Saturday have their tails up after pummeling Dax 30-0 last week.
Brive leapfrogged from eleventh to ninth position thanks to that victory, but are far from safe. They still have to face Stade Français, Clermont and Toulouse before the end of the season, so any points they can gather will be very, very welcome.
Back in Perpignan, daily newspaper Midi Olympique have speculated that Springbok full-back Percy Montgomery's contract will not be renewed, which, if true, should see some big clubs whipping out their cheque books - assuming the World Cup winner chooses to continue his career.
Venue: Amedée-Domenech
Kick-off: 20:30
Referee: Eric Darrière
Touch judges: Frédéric Gourgues, Didier Dussaut
Assessor: Patrick Costa, Henri Lalanne
Television match official: Daniel Irazoqui
Montauban v Biarritz
The other half of the semi-finals race visits 'fortress' Sapiac where Montauban have lost just once this season (to Toulouse).
Biarritz seem to have finally found their attacking legs and will need all the Basque muscle they can muster to topple their hosts.
Biarritz scrapped to a customarily tight 10-8 win when the teams met a little over three months ago, but will have to do a lot more this time to get the better of a side that pushed Stade Français very close in Paris last Saturday.
BO have had the best defence in France for a few years now (conceding only 15 points in their last four games) and have relied upon their high quality kicking game and a solid pack to get them this far.
But if they want to keep up with Perpignan, and eventually recapture fourth place, they need to score attacking bonus points. They scored their first two in the last two weeks, so it looks like they've got the message.
Montauban are five points short of sixth place, which is synonymous with Heineken Cup qualification, and with Castres not playing this weekend, they have a opportunity to close that gap and put pressure on the Tarn team.
Venue: Sapiac
Kick-off: 18:30 (16:30 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite
Touch judges: Daniel Jeanguiot, Guy Pince
Assessor: Patrick Ducouret, Daniel Pruvot
Television match official: Serge Marzullo
Castres Olympique v Stade Toulousain
With Toulouse facing London Irish at Twickenham in their Heineken Cup semi-final on Saturday, this game has been postponed by ten days. As a result both clubs will be forced to play 3 matches in the space of a week in early May.
With Toulouse already decimated by injuries and almost assured of a semi-final spot, Guy Novès will have no qualms about sending an under strength side to the Tarn region, especially if they have a Heineken Cup final to contend with.
Not that Castres will have it easy. France captain Lionel Nallet and his troops have the unenviable task of facing Clermont and Toulouse within five days of each other!
They will not be short of motivation to knuckle down, however. With everything to play for as the leading contenders for the last Heineken Cup qualify position, it's within their powers to place Castres on Europe's biggest rugby stage.
In a week full of bad news for Toulouse, the contract extension of Argentinean Patricio Albacete on Tuesday gave them something to smile about.
Albacete's form for the club was enough to earn the lock a place in the Pumas' World Cup squad and he will now remain in the Ville Rose until 2011.
Date: Tuesday, May 7
Venue: Pierre-Antoine