Darry Worthington previews all the Round six French Top 14 action, with the first game of the weekend kicking off on Saturday the 5th of October.
The Top 14 reaches its Sixth Round this weekend and there are some intriguing clashes taking place with log-leaders Lyon taking on second-placed Bordeaux and Toulon squaring off with La Rochelle being the two highlights of the round.
Clermont v Montpellier
Saturday 5 October
Stade Felix Mayol
15:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Clermont 1/4
Draw 20/1
Montpellier 29/10
Fifth-placed Clermont take on sixth-placed Montpellier in Round six’s opening fixture.
The hosts have registered three wins from their opening five fixtures with their latest victory coming last weekend where they beat Stade Francais 18-32.
Montpellier, while not claiming the win, also produced a respectable result in Round 5 as they held an in-form Bordeaux Begles side to a 17-17 draw. Vern Cotter’s men have won two of their other four games while losing the two others.
Verdict: Clermont 1/4
I feel home ground advantage will swing it the way of Clermont. They won’t win by much though and any plus handicap in the region of ten points is well worth backing.
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Brive v Toulouse
Saturday 5 October
Stae Amedee-Domenech
18:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Brive 15/20
Draw 18/1
Toulouse 21/20
Brive will be looking to claim their third win of the season when they take on reigning champions Toulouse, who have also only registered two wins from their five outings.
Both sides secured valuable wins last week with Brive beating mega-spenders Toulon 27-17 and Toulouse edging Pau 24-23.
Verdict: Toulouse 21/20
I really think that Brive’s victory over Toulon was due to Toulon being dreadful and not Brive being spectacular. As such, I reckon the Toulouse straight win at 21/20 is decent value, even if the reigning champions are missing a host of stars.
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Agen v Bayonne
Saturday 5 October
Stade Armandie
18:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Agen 4/10
Draw 20/1
Bayonne 24/10
Agen will be looking to move inside the top ten when they take on a Bayonne side that currently sit pretty in fourth with 13 points from their opening six games.
The visitors have enjoyed the ideal start back in the French top-flight having beaten Racing, Castres and Agen while claim losing bonus points from clashes with Stade and Clermont.
Agen have two wins from their five fixtures with their most recent results being a spirit 30-27 defeat to Castres.
Verdict: Bayonne 24/10
I fancy an upset hear. Bayonne have been solid away from home this term and I can see them getting one over a hit-and-miss Agen side.
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Castres v Stade Francais
Saturday 5 October
Stade Pierre-Fabre
18:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Castres 1/4
Draw 20/1
Stade 3/1
Stade Francais will be looking to kick-start their faltering season when they take on a faltering Castres side.
Stade have only won one of their fixtures and sit at the foot of the log. Their latest 18-32 defeat came at the hands of Clermont, this past weekend.
Castres have fared slightly better than their opponents thus far and sit in eighth place on the log with two wins from their five games.
Verdict: Castres 1/4
I can’t see anything but a Castres win here.
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Lyon v Bordeaux
Saturday 5 October
Stade Gerland
08:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Lyon 1/8
Draw 25/1
Bordeaux 47/10
Undefeated log leaders Lyon will be looking for their sixth win of the campaign when they take on the second-placed Bordeaux Begles, who only have one blemish on their record with that being last weekend’s 17-17 away draw with Montpellier.
The hosts had a better time of it in the previous round as they beat a hapless Racing Metro side 20-31 away from home.
Verdict: Lyon 1/8
While Lyon will win it, any plus handicap in excess of 13 points should be taken.
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Pau v Racing 92
Sunday 6 October
Stade du Hameau
12:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Pau 5/10
Draw 18/1
Racing 17/10
Third-placed Pau will be looking to pile the misery on when they take on 13th-placed Racing Metro.
The visitors have endured a horror start to their campaign with their only victory coming in Round 2 where they beat Castres 24-13. Their most recent result was an 11 point home defeat to Lyon.
Pau have fared far better this term and have won three of their first five fixtures. They do head into this one off the back of a narrow one-point defeat to an out-of-sorts Toulouse outfit, however.
Verdict: Pau 5/10
The home win is a gift and should be added to all rugby multi’s this coming weekend.
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Toulon v La Rochelle
Sunday 6 October
Stade Felix Mayol
16:50
To Win (80 Mins)
Toulon 3/10
Draw 20/1
La Rochelle 24/10
10th-placed Toulon and seventh-placed La Rochelle will lock horns in the final match of the weekend. Both teams have only won two games this term but La Rochelle’s superior points differential sees them three points above their opponents.
Both teams suffered defeats at the hands of newly-promoted sides with La Rochelle going down 23-22 to Bayonne and Toulon going down 39-17 to Brive.
Verdict: La Rochelle 24/10
I’m going to have a cheeky punt on the away team here. Toulon still looks at team in turmoil and they may well struggle again this term.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
