Preview: Top 14 Round 3
Revenge is sweet: Stade Français travel to Perpignan in Round 3
The scheduling chiefs of the Top 14 have given us a Round of heavyweight match-ups this weekend with the action coming to a climactic conclusion when Toulouse host Biarritz on Sunday.
Four clubs are vying for the championship leadership. Stade Français, Biarritz, Perpignan and Bayonne are the only clubs to have won both their opening matches. Two of them, Stade Français and Perpignan go head to head in the weekend's other clash of the heavyweights.
Bayonne are also in for a tough game on Friday as they host Clermont - meaning that the leaders on Monday will likely come from the clash on the Catalan coast.
Elsewhere, newly-promoted Toulon must travel to their former ProD2 rivals, Mont-de-Marsan, in a mismatch of budgets. Brive host equally ambitious Castres with both sides desperate for a first win.
Fixtures:
Friday September 5
Bayonne v Clermont
Saturday September 6
Dax v Montpellier
Montauban v Bourgoin
Brive v Castres
Perpignan v Stade Français
Mont-de-Marsan v Toulon
Sunday September 7
Toulouse v Biarritz Olympique
Table after Round 2
1 Stade Français 9
2 Biarritz 8
3 Perpignan 8
4 Bayonne 8
5 Clermont 6
6 Montauban 6
7 Toulon 6
8 Toulouse 5
9 Montpellier4
10 Bourgoin 2
11 Brive 2
12 Castres 1
13 Mont-de-Marsan 1
14 Dax 1
Previews:
Bayonne v Clermont Auvergne
Jean-Dauger, Bayonne.
As they did last year, Bayonne have started their season in fine form, with back-to-back wins.
Twelve months ago they were brought back down to earth in Paris in the third round. This time around their task is no easier as they host the try-scoring phenomenon that is Clermont.
Last year's losing finalists will be the first to truly test if Bayonne have learnt from the lessons of the past. That said, Clermont will travel to the Basque country with a few bad memories of their own - Les jaunards have not won in Bayonne in nearly three years and last June's 36-8 upset planted the seed of doubt that grew into failure in the Final.
The hosts will be without both first choice centres Thibault Lacroix (pulled thigh muscle) and Vincent Inigo (shoulder) meaning South African winger Sam Gerber will have to move inside to partner Australian Craig Gower in the midfield.
Clermont have a few injury concerns of their own. Both their fly-halves, Brock James and Benoît Baby were unable to train during the week while captain Aurélien Rougerie and hooker Benoît Cabello have joined Martin Scelzo and Jamie Cudmore on the injury list, and won't be in Bayonne.
Kick-off: 20:30 (18:30 GMT)
Referee: Jean-Pierre Matheu
Touch judges: Fernand Pereira, Frédéric Ducatez
Television match official: Jean-Claude Levrier
US Dax v Montpellier HRC
Maurice Boyau, Dax
Both Dax and Montpellier have come face to face with the champions in the opening rounds and both did remarkably well. Montpellier caused the shock of the opening day by beating their illustrious visitors while Dax went to Toulouse and pushed their hosts all the way.
Dax might be bottom of the table, as everyone expected, but they will take heart from their performance in Toulouse. Montpellier have serious ambitions of making it into Europe this year, and it's games like these they just cannot afford to lose. They essentially forfeited their match in Clermont last week by resting a few top players (in Round 2!) so, with a full-strength squad, there will be no excuses for not coming out guns blazing on Saturday.
Dax loose forward Matthieu Lièvremont's injury scare has been diagnosed as nothing more than tendonitis and he should be fit to run out in brother Thomas' starting XV.
Italian International full-back David Bortolussi will be up against his former Montpellier team-mates after spending five years with the Heraultais.
Kick-off: 14:30 (12:30 GMT)
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal
Touch judges: Denis Grenouillet, Régis Gabard
Television match official: Daniel Gillet
Montauban v CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
Sapiac, Montauban
Fortress Sapiac will host a clash of clubs with contrasting fortunes of late.
After a massively disappointing season last time around that saw them lose their place in Europe, Bourgoin seem to be a slippery downward slope. Two defeats from two, against Biarritz and Perpignan, have already dented their hopes of a revival this season.
To be fair, the draw has done Bourgoin no favours and a trip to one of the toughest places to visit in France is the last thing they need. They gave Perpignan a solid run for their money last weekend, so the signs aren't all bad.
In contrast, Montauban's star is steadily rising. An expected home win against Mont-de-Marsan was followed up by a narrow loss away to Bayonne.
It could be another disappointing weekend for the team in light blue against a green armada who currently seem capable of only looking upwards.
Kick-off: 14:30 (12:30 GMT)
Referee: Akim Hadj Bachir
Touch judges: Alain Moretto, Gilbert Darrieutort
Television match official: Vincent Azoulay
CA Brive-Corrèze v Castres Olympique
Amédée-Domenech, Brive
Just behind the traditional heavyweights of French rugby there is group of medium-sized clubs epitomised by the ambitious pair of Brive and Castres. ,
Both, for the moment, have had disappointing starts - Brive were able to salvage a draw in Toulon after going down to Perpignan while Castres lost at home to Bayonne and then in Biarritz.
Both are in desperate need of a morale-boosting win and the winners on Saturday will breathe a long sigh of relief.
Both also have worryingly long injury lists: Castres' nightmare start to the season continues with the addition to their sick bay roster of fly-half Cameron McIntyre, wing Leiataua Tomiki and scrum-half Kevin Senio, making for a busy week for the Tarn club's medical staff.
Brive will be playing their first home game of the season, meaning they should start as slight favourites.
Kick-off: 14:30 (12:30 GMT)
Referee: Christophe Berdos
Touch judges: Patrick Bellet, Olivier Migne
Television match official: Serge Marzullo
USA Perpignan v Stade Français
Aimé-Giral, Perpignan
Perpignan's visit to the capital in March proved to a be a turning point for both sides last year. While Perpignan become the first side to win at Jean-Bouin since 2004, a result which kick-started a long winning streak and took them to the semi-finals, Stade Français never really recovered from the loss.
The Parisians will want to turn the tables this time around as they head to the Catalan coast buoyed by the return of Pumas fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez.
While Stade may lead the standings at the moment, they have failed to convince anyone that they are championship material after scraping past minnows Mont-de-Marsan last week.
The hosts on the other hand have delivered solid wins, at home and away, against Brive and Bourgoin. Saturday's clash will be a step up for both teams.
Perpignan will be without lock Rimas Alvarez Kairelis and his second row partner Nathan Hines is sick, so the home side might struggle in the line-outs.
Stade's French international prop Sylvain Marconnet will miss the match with an injured ankle - the same ankle that has been the cause of three operations since March 2007. The injury, however, is not serious, or so Marconnet would lead us to believe.
Kick-off: 16:30 (14:30 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite
Touch judges: Jean-Paul Vermande, Jacques Laplace
Television match official: Jean-Christophe Gastou
Stade Montois v RC Toulon
Guy-Boniface, Mont-de-Marsan
Toulon and Mont-de-Marsan might share the status of newly promoted clubs - but the similarities end there. Les Varois were always expected to win the ProD2 and with the fourth largest budget in the Top 14, Toulon have ambitions to match their cheque book.
By contrast, Mont-de-Marsan have the smallest budget of the championship and have quite literally been praying to avoid relegation since day one.
That does not mean however that the result in Stade Guy-Boniface will necessarily be a reflection of the clubs' differing resources. Write les Montois off at your peril, as they showed by nearly upsetting the former champions in Paris last Saturday.
The team in yellow and Black have the means to trouble their celebrity visitors, on condition that they hit 'em where it hurts - up front. Tana Umaga's men might be undefeated this season, but the painful draw against Brive at home last Saturday showed up some serious weaknesses.
Toulon's place-kickers have failed to impress, their line-out is far from perfect and they have a bunch of injuries amongst the backs. Whether Mont-de-Marsan can widen those cracks remains to be seen.
Toulon will be without their headline-making centre Sonny Bill Williams for three weeks due to a cracked calf bone. South African hooker Tiaan Liebenberg underwent surgery on a fractured thumb this week and will be out of action for two months.
The club from the Mediterranean was expecting the arrival of Springbok loose forward Joe van Niekerk this week. Van Niekerk will not be joined by Bok team-mate Ruan Pienaar, however. The scrum-half closed the door on negotiations with owner Mourad Boudjellal because he insists he wants to play at number nine and not fly-half, the position Toulon are looking to reinforce.
Kick-off: 20:30 (18:30 GMT)
Referee: Bernard Dal Maso
Touch judges: Patrick Dellac, Didier Morin
Television match official: Jean-Pierre Pellaprat
Stade Toulousain v Biarritz Olympique
Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse
It would be a mild understatement to say that the defending champions have gotten off to a slow start. Toulouse had better speed up soon or be left behind because there will be no place to hide in their next two matches, against Biarritz and Clermont.
Although Toulouse's slow start to the season was expected - with Guy Novès and co. wanting to keep their powder dry for crunch time - the manner in which they conceded three tries against Dax would have had alarms bell ringing at Ernest-Wallon stadium.
The hosts are a little short on personnel, with injuries (Vincent Clerc, Clément Poitrenaud, Yannick Jauzion, Thierry Dusautoir, Yves Donguy, Julien Ledevedec, Maleli Kunavore) and the late arrival of their new recruits limiting Novès' selection choices.
Biarritz have started their new season, with a new coach and a new team with renewed enthusiasm, and the signs so far look promising. Wins against Bourgoin and Castres have resulted in tries being scored, in stark contrast to last season's defensive mindset. Their first road trip however will be their sternest test yet.
Thierry Dusautoir will have the rare opportunity of facing a former team-mate, Benoît Lecouls, who will himself become a Toulouse player soon!
Kick-off: 20:00 (18:00 GMT)
Referee: Franck Maciello
Touch judges: Hervé Gilard, Eric Briquet Campin
Television match official: Gérard Borreani