Top 14 Preview: Round 26
Upside-down priorities: Stade Français might prefer to lose in Perpignan
The final Round of the Top 14 sees Perpignan host Stade Français on Saturday to decided the semi-final fixtures.
If Perpignan win by more than seven points they will meet Toulouse in Marseilles, if not, they will face Clermont. Stade Français will play their semi-final in Bordeaux.
Montpellier need Montauban to lose at home to Albi, while they win in Auch, to qualify for the Heineken Cup. Biarritz and Castres, who are equal on 65 points, will do battle for fifth place.
There's light at the end of the tunnel for Bourgoin who will be eager to see the back of this year's championship.
Auch will be joined by Albi in the Pro D2 next season after the Tarn club's demotion for financial irregularities was confirmed on Tuesday - handing Dax a lifeline.
Toulon are the Pro D2 champions and will be promoted to the top flight. Saturday sees four clubs involved in the play-offs to secure the second promotion spot. Parisian club Racing-Mètro, who finished second on the table, are the hot favourites.
Top 14 Fixtures:
Stade Toulousain v Bayonne
Clermont Auvergne v Dax
Bourgoin v Brive
Perpignan v Stade Français
Biarritz Olympique v Castres Olympique
Auch v Montpellier
Montauban v Albi
Pro D2 play-offs:
Mont-de-Marsan v Lyon
Racing-Mètro v La Rochelle
Table after Round 25
1 Clermont Auvergne 91
2 Stade Toulousain 87
3 Stade Français 79
4 Perpignan 75
5 Castres Olympique 65
6 Biarritz Olympique 65
7 Montauban 59
8 Montpellier 57
9 Bayonne 54
10 Brive 50
11 Bourgoin 48
12 Albi 47
13 Dax 34
14 Auch 19
Stade Toulousain v Bayonne
Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
Nobody expected Bayonne to give Clermont the whipping they did last week, so Toulouse will head into this match with a little apprehension. After a tough few weeks that saw the moral in Toulouse dip very low, last week's eight-try demolition of Bourgoin put a spring back in their step.
Two years ago Biarritz bounced back from defeat to Munster at the Millennium stadium in the Heineken Cup Final to win the Top 14 in a final against...Toulouse. Now it is the chance of Guy Novès men to salvage something from their season.
There might be very little to play for but Toulouse's fans have shown their support for the former champions by selling out Ernest Wallon for the last home game of the season.
Toulouse wing Maxime Médard will be extra keen to score a try or two. He trails Clermont's flying Fijian Napolioni Nalaga by a single touchdown (13 to 12) in the race to become the championship's leading try scorer.
Meanwhile, Toulouse Scrum-half Byron Kelleher will be rested on Saturday. Suffering from fatigue, the former All Black will save his strength for the semi-finals. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde is also amongst a number of players taking a break meaning Nicolas Bézy will wear the number nine jersey and Maxime Mermoz will play fly-half.
Full-back/wing Cédric Heymans will also be absent due to the ankle injury he sustained in Brive. He is still not sure whether or not he'll be fit for the play-offs. The same goes for first-choice hooker William Servat.
Referee: Patrick Pechambert
Touch judges: Stéphane Duberger, Jean-Christophe Clot
Clermont Auvergne v Dax
Parc des sports Marcel-Michelin, Clermont, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
After a record-breaking season Les Jaunards have steadily gone off the boil since that shock home defeat to Castres in early May. Two consecutive losses including a 36 -8 drubbing at the hands of Bayonne last week have left a massive question mark hanging over their heads.
Wing Julien Malzieu admitted after their defeat in the Basque country that the leaders had "lacked desire and concentration." Just one week ahead of the play-offs, Clermont need to get their act together - fast.
The last fortnight has underlined the importance of fly-half Brock James, not just from the kicking tee, but in the general construction of Clermont's play. In his absence the pretenders to the Top 14 crown looked uninspired, lacked penetration and most importantly, weren't scoring any points! The Australian will make a welcome return on Saturday and should finish the season as the top points scorer - as he did last year.
Dax - the only team ever to have been relegated and promoted back into the Top 14 in a matter of days - will try to prove that they deserve their place in France's top flight. Good luck to them. Unfortunately the 22-40 home defeat they suffered in March should pale in comparison to the hiding they'll get on Saturday if their hosts recover their rhythm.
It's now Clermont's turn to suffer the injury curse. Springbok centre Marius Joubert, who has been instrumental to their season so far, has a sprained ankle while Gonzalo Canale has a torn buttock muscle. They join Alex King and Martin Scelzo in the infirmerie and are all set to miss the semi-finals and probably the eventual Final.
Referee: Bernard Dal Maso
Touch judges: Jean-Paul Vermande, Didier Barnagaud
Bourgoin v Brive
Pierre-Rajon, Bourgoin, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
Brive have ended the season at a gallop, winning three of their last four matches while Bourgoin have done the exact opposite. Brive were 29-13 winners the last time the teams met, so a repeat seems a likely result.
Bourgoin hooker Benoît Cabello, who will join Clermont next month, has pulled the sky blue jersey on for the last time as he has a knee sprain and will have to watch from the stands.
Referee: Stephan Pomarede
Touch judges: Alain Moretto, Jean-Louis Fillon
Perpignan v Stade Français
Aimé Giral, Perpignan, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
If Perpignan win and deny Stade a bonus point, or score one themselves, they will meet Toulouse in Marseilles rather than Clermont. Whether or not the Catalans actually want to face Toulouse is an entirely different story though.
Perpignan coach Jacques Brunel has insisted that all his team are thinking about is "staying undefeated at home," but one finds it hard to believe that the semi-finals won't be in the back of the minds of the players.
As far as Stade Français are concerned, one would think that Fabien Galthié and his team will fancy their chances more against Clermont than Toulouse in the semi-finals (they beat Clermont 23-17 on the opening day of the season). The fact that he has rotated his squad for the trip to Catalogne lends weight to that theory.
The Parisians are by no means sending a weak team to Perpignan with Jérôme Fillol and Lionel Beauxis forming the axis and both Bergamasco brothers in the line-up, but with Jaun Martin Hernandez and most of their pack's big guns staying in the capital, one gets the distinct impression that the defending champions won't be in tears if they lose on Saturday.
Perpignan are also without a few first-choice players, most notably Jean-Pierre Pérez, Chris Cusiter and David Marty who are struggling with injuries, but have otherwise named their strongest team (with the exception of course of Percy Montgomery who is set to return from international duty on Monday).
Perpignan's season was in tatters until they caused an upset by beating Stade Français in Paris three months ago. Since then they have lost just twice in thirteen rounds and judging by Brunel's words midweek, they seem confident they can go all they way.
David Skrela looks to have played his last game for Stade Français. The international fly-half has a torn thigh muscle, meaning his next appearance will most likely be with his new club, Toulouse.
The Parisians are still waiting to for confirmation as to who their next Head Coach will be, but forwards coach Fabrice Landreau has confirmed that he will stay with the club. Former Bulls Super 14-winning coach Heyneke Meyer, who was spotted at the club recently, has been named in the French press, but Landreau would not go further than saying the South African was a possible candidate.
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal
Touch judges: Patrick Dellac, Denis Grenouillet
Biarritz Olympique v Castres Olympique
Parc des Sports d'Aguilera, Biarritz, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
It seems fitting that Biarritz and Castres face off on the last day of the championship. Apart from being dead equal on points after 25 rounds, the two teams' fortunes have been polar opposites this season.
The once mighty Biarritz, five times champions of France and former Heineken Cup finalists, have bumbled their way to June, stringing together a collection of near misses and disappointing performances against the other big clubs.
It is clear to everyone in France that BO have come to the end of a cycle, and with eleven injured players, they have a puncture too. Next year they will have a new coach, a host of new players and new ambitions. But first they must face the club that has plagued them all year.
Castres were 26-19 winners when the Basques visited the Tarn in March, and have been the revelation of the season. Last October their goals didn't go much further than avoiding relegation but up until a few weeks ago, they were realistic semi-final candidates.
France captain Lionel Nallet has been a tower of strength for the club that last season finished eleventh and 27 points behind Biarritz. What a story it would be if they can lift themselves one more time and cross the finish line ahead of their illustrious hosts before Nallet leads a French team largely composed of Biarritz players Down Under.
Referee: Jean-Christophe Gastou
Touch judges: Pierre Marie Masson, Claude Tajan
Auch v Montpellier
Stade du Moulias, Auch, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
Montpellier will expect to win in Auch and will have their fingers, legs and toes crossed hoping for a miracle in Montauban.
Loose forward Louis Picamoles has bruised ribs and won't make the trip, but will be fit to face Australia for the national team later this month. They will also be without Irish place-kicking full-back Mark McHugh, who has a shoulder injury.
Referee: Eric Darriere
Touch judges: Gilbert Darrieutort, Didier Dussaut
Montauban v Albi
Sapiac, Montauban, 15:15 (13:15 GMT)
How will Albi react to the news of their legally-enforced relegation? If they walk out onto the park at fortress Sapiac with their heads hanging low, they're in for some beating.
In stark contrast to most of the teams this weekend, Montauban have everything to play for. A win and they are into the Heineken Cup for the first time in their history.
Toulouse remain the only team to have denied Montauban victory at home this season. Albi might have a point to prove to the suits in Paris - but unless they can dig deep and produce the game of their lives, Montpellier can forget about playing in Europe next year.
Referee: Eric Gauzins
Touch judges: Jean-Luc Gonzalez, Olivier Migne