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French Top 14

PREVIEW: La Rochelle/ Toulouse and Montpellier/ Racing the pick of Top 14 weekend action

Our first taste of Top 14 action for the New Year is on its way with Round 15 of the French top tier kicking off on Saturday the 7th of January.

Image Copyright - Eddy Lemaistre - Steve Haag Sports

There are some decent looking fixtures this weekend with the highlights seeing La Rochelle take on Toulouse this Sunday and Montpeller and Racing 92 lock horns on Sunday.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Saturday 7 January

Bordeaux 1/10 | Draw 33/1 | Bayonne 6/1

Handicap
Bordeaux (-15.5) 17/20 | Bayonne (+15.5) 17/20

We start the weekend with a clash between sixth-placed Bordeaux and fifth-placed Bayonne. The two sides are level on log-points and this game could well have a bearing on which of these teams make the play-off places come the close of the regular season. 

The hosts enjoyed a very positive festive season beating La Rochelle 8-12 on Christmas Eve and following that up with a 40-10 win over reigning champions Montpellier a week later. 

Bayonne also enjoyed a positive close to the year with this season’s surprise package drawing 22-22 away to Pau and then registering a solid 23-18 home win over Toulon. 

While Bayonne have certainly impressed this term, a fixture away to Bordeaux is a step too far for them. I can see the hosts winning this one by between ten and 14 points. 

Brive 11/10 | Draw 25/1 | Toulon 74/100

We head to the Stade Amedee-Domench for our next fixture which pits 13th-placed Brive against eighth-placed Toulon. Both sides will be desperate for the win here with the hosts looking to stave off relegation and the visitors looking to move back into the play-off places. 

Brive, despite their lowly ladder position, actually come into this one in solid form having beaten Clermont 20-16 and Lyon 27-30 in their final two games of the year. They had only won two games prior to the festive period so those back-to-back wins will have given them a lot of confidence. 

Toulon produced a mixed bag over the festive period beating Lyon 21-3 and then going down to an admittedly in-form Bayonne outfit by five-points on New Year’s Eve. 

I’m backing Brive to keep their solid run of form up by starting the 2023 with a crucial win over Toulon. 

Clermont 1/9 | Draw 33/1 | Perpignan 56/10

Handicap
Clermont (-15.5) 17/20 | Perpignan (+15.5) 17/20

We head over to the Marcel Michelin for our next fixture which will see 11th-placed Clermont take on cellar-dwellers Perpignan. Both teams are having rather poor seasons with Clermont looking more and more likely to miss out on the play-offs while Perpignan are at serious risk of dropping down to the French second-tier. 

The Christmas period wasn’t kind to either of these sides with Clermont going down 20-16 to Brive and 13-32 to Toulouse, while Perpignan suffered a 38-10 defeat to Montpellier and then a 10-29 loss to La Rochelle.  

This is the perfect opportunity for Clermont to bounce back and I can see them doing so this Saturday. 

Pau 53/100 | Draw 25/1 | Lyon 16/10

Handicap
Pau (-4.5) 17/20 | Lyon (+4.5) 17/20

Pau and Lyon are next up and this should be a rather interesting fixture with only three-points separating the sides on the ladder. Both teams will also be desperate to claim the points here in a bid to move closer towards the play-off berths. 

Pau had a rather poor festive campaign as they were held to a 22-22 draw by high-flying Bayonne and then were hammered 37-3 by Stade in Paris.

Lyon enjoyed a better time of it during that period and gave themselves a decent little Christmas by beating Toulon 21-3 on the 24th. They were unable to repeat the trick on New Year’s Eve, however, as they were beaten 27-30 at home by a struggling Brive outfit. 

I’m backing the visitors to start the year on a positive note. Pau haven’t really made the Stade du Hameau a fortress and I can see Lyon walking away with the points here. 

Stade Francais 26/100 | 25/1 | Castres 31/10

Handicap
Stade (-9.5) 17/20 | Castres (+9.5) 17/20

Saturday’s penultimate fixture pits high-flying Stade Francais up against a Castres side that needs to pull together a run of wins if they are to claim a play-off berth this season. 

Stade enjoyed a fruitful Christmas campaign, claiming two bonus point wins as they hammered Racing 10-48 in the Paris derby and followed that up with a 37-3 win over Pau. The two big victories have seen them move to second-place on the Top 14 ladder. 

Castres had a decent enough close to the year but just couldn’t get a result, claiming a losing bonus point from a narrow 23-18 loss to table-toppers and then drawing 26-26 with Racing 92 at home. 

The hosts are in red-hot form at the minute and I can’t see them slipping up against a dogged but limited Castres outfit. 

La Rochelle 32/100 | Draw 22/1 | Toulouse 26/10

Handicap
La Rochelle (-7.5) 17/20 | Toulouse (+7.5) 17/20

Saturday’s final fixture should be an absolute belter as log-leaders Toulouse take on third-placed La Rochelle. Toulouse hold a seven-point lead at the top of the ladder but will be wary of defeat as they are being hunted down by a red-hot Stade Francais outfit. 

La Rochelle closed the year off with a win and a loss as they suffered an agonising 8-12 home defeat to the Bordeaux Begles on Christmas Eve and then bounced back with a solid, if not spectacular, 10-29 away victory over last-placed Perpignan.

Toulouse had a much better time of it during that period with the heavyweights of the French top-tier beating a determined Castres side 22-18 and then impressing with a 13-32 away win over Clermont. 

While Toulouse have been great on the road this term, I can’t see them getting one over La Rochelle at the Marcel Deflandre.

The hosts will still be hurting from that home defeat to Bordeaux and they’ll be determined to redeem themselves in the eyes of their home faithful.  

Sunday 8 January

Montpellier 41/100 | Draw 25/1 | Racing 92 2/1

Handicap
Montpellier (-5.5) 17/20 | Racing (+5.5) 17/20

Round 15 comes to a close at the GGL Stadium where regning champions Montpellier will take on Racing 92. The visitors currently sit in fourth spot on the ladder but are only four-points ahead of their opponents for Saturday who lie in seventh. 

Montpellier’s hit and miss form continued through the festive period as they followed up a 38-10 victory over Perpignan with a 40-10 loss to Bordeaux. Racing had an even worse time of it as they went down 10-48 at home to Stade and then drew 26-26 with a sub-par Castres outfit. 

While they’ve struggled for consistency this term, Montpellier have usually got up for their big games at home. I reckon they’ll take this one at the GGL. 
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