The Top 14 returns with a bang this coming weekend as we’ve got some big-ticket matches heading our way including clashes between heavyweights Toulouse and Montpellier, Lyon and Clermont as well as Racing 92 and La Rochelle.
Saturday 28 January
Lyon 29/100 | Draw 22/1 | Clermont 28/10 (16:00)
Handicap
Lyon (-8.5) 17/20 | Clermont (+8.5) 17/20
We kick things off over at the Stade Gerland where a struggling Clermont outfit will take on Lyon. Both sides are enduring having sub-par domestic campaigns with the hosts currently sitting eighth on the ladder with eight wins from their 15 games while Clermont are two places further back having only registered six wins and a draw.
The middle part of the ladder is heavily congested as is the norm for what is usually a very competitive competition. However, both these sides are well in with a shout of still making the playoffs.
Clermont head to Lyon having endured a tough old fortnight in the Champions Cup as they went down 29-44 at home to English outfit Leicester and then 30-16 to the Stormers in Cape Town. The two defeats saw them drop out of that competition and they will now play in the Challenge Cup knock-out phase.
Like Clermont, Lyon are also through to the Challenge Cup knock-outs despite ending their Champions Cup campaign with an impressive 31-7 drubbing of the Bulls. Their 48-28 loss to Saracens the week prior was the death knell in their top-tier European journey.
I’m on the hosts here. Clermont have struggled on the road this term while Lyon have been something of a force to be reckoned with on home soil. Get on Lyon to narrowly clear the (-8.5) ‘cap.
Castres 44/100 | Draw 22/1 | Bordeaux 39/20 (18:00)
Handicap
Castres (-5.5) 17/20 | Bordeaux (+5.5) 17/20
We head over to the Stade Pierre Fabre for our next fixture where last season’s runners-up Catres will take on the Bordeaux Begles. Castres have struggled to produce the performances that catapulted them to the upper echelons of the table last term. They currently lie 11th on the Ladder with six wins and a draw from 15 games. Bordeaux are sitting far prettier with the visitors currently third on the ladder with nine wins to their names.
Castres have also failed to produce the goods in Europe and bowed out of the Champions Cup going down 21-34 to Edinburgh and 40-3 to Exeter over the past fortnight. Bordeaux also dropped down into the Challenge Cup as they recorded a 17-26 loss to Gloucester and a 32-3 loss to the Sharks, in their final two pool phase fixtures.
Castres are really struggling this term and I can see Bordeaux grabbing the win at the Stade Pierre Fabre. Play it safe, however, and back the visitors on a pretty generous (+5.5) handicap.
Bayonne 2/7 | Draw 22/1 | Brive 28/10 (18:00)
Handicap
Bayonne (-7.5) 8/10 | Brive (+7.5) 9/10
It’s high-flying Bayonne taking on struggling Brive in our next fixture. The hosts are enjoying a fantastic campaign and are well in with a chance of making the Top 14 play-offs. They currently lie seventh on the ladder having won eight and drawn one of their opening 15 games.
The men from the southwest have been one of the most impressive sides this term and will be looking for the full five-pint haul against a Brive side that are locked in a relegation battle as they sit 13th on the ladder having only mustered up five domestic wins this term.
Both sides were in action in Europe over the past fortnight with Bayonne struggling to hit the highs of their domestic campaign as they went down 26-7 to Italian outfit Benetton and 7-20 to Welsh side, the Scarlets. Brive fared slightly better during their final two Challenge Cup pool phase fixtures as after being hammered 61-5 by Connacht, they bounced back with a 37-24 win over the Cardiff Blues.
I’m backing the hosts to put a poor two weeks in Europe behind them by grabbing a win that should see them clear the (-7.5) handicap.
Perpignan 11/10 | Draw 22/1 | Stade 77/100 (18:00)
Over to the Stade Aime Giral now, where cellar-dwellers Perpignan will take on second-placed Stade Francais. This game is of vital importance to both sides with the hosts looking to close the seven-point gap on 13th-placed Brive and the visitors looking to reign in ladder-leaders Toulouse, who are only three points ahead of them on the standings.
Perpignan carried their poor domestic form over to the Challenge Cup with the strugglers going down 26-40 to Glasgow and then 33-19 to Bristol. And while the scorelines in both of the games might not be considered blowouts, it must be remembered that Bristol currently sit at the foot of the Gallagher Premiership and Glasgow have been extremely hit-and-miss this term in the URC.
Stade fared better in their final two Challenge Cup fixtures as they beat the Lions 17-7 and narrowly went down 35-32 to Treviso away from home.
Things will get messy for Perpignan here as Stade will be looking for as many points as they can before they lose players to Six Nations call-ups.
Toulon 2/9 | Draw 25/1 | Pau 7/2 (18:00)
Handicap
Toulon (-10.5) 17/20 | Pau (+10.5) 17/20
Toulon will be looking to further their play-off credentials when they take on a Pau outfit that is currently languishing in 12th place on the Top 14 ladder.
The hosts have enjoyed a solid domestic campaign thus far but have dropped off the boil somewhat in recent weeks and now sit ninth on the standings. A couple of wins would see them move right back into the play-off hunt, however. They also come into this one off the back of some solid Challenge Cup results as they beat a Bath side in decent form 23-35 and followed that up with a solid, if not spectacular, 14-5 win over a plucky Zebre outfit.
Pau had a tougher time of it in their final two Challenge Cup fixtures as they went down 15-21 to the Dragons and then 9-6 to the Free State Cheetahs.
They really need to get their domestic campaign back on the up and up and I can see Toulon doing this against a Pau outfit that has only registered five wins and a draw this term. Small play on the minus for me.
Racing 48/100 | Draw 22/1 | La Rochelle 18/10 (22:05)
Handicap
Racing (-4.5) 17/20 | La Rochelle (+4.5) 17/20
Our penultimate game of the weekend should be an absolute cracker with fifth-placed Racing 92 taking on second-placed La Rochelle. Only three points separate the sides on the Top 14 ladder and this game will likely have a massive bearing on where these teams end up in the play-off placings.
Both sides suffered contrasting fortunes in the Champions Cup over the past fortnight with La Rochelle securing their passage through to the Round of 16 with wins over Ulster (7-3) and Northampton (13-31), while Racing dropped down to the Challenge Cup having gone down 36-10 to Leinster in their must-win match last weekend. They did register a positive result the week prior having beaten English outfit Harlequins 30-29.
These big-ticket affairs tend to go the way of the side hosting the fixture which is why I’m backing Racing to get the job done in Paris. Back the hosts on the board
Toulouse 1/4 | Draw 22/1 | Montpellier 33/10 (22:05)
Handicap
Toulouse (-9.5) 9/10 | Montpellier (+9.5) 8/10
We bring things to a close at the Stade Ernest-Wallon where log-leaders Toulouse will take on reigning Champions Montpellier in the pick of the Round 16 action.
The hosts are enjoying a brilliant domestic campaign and have won ten and drawn one of their 15 fixtures. They have also been pretty handy in Europe and head into Sunday’s clash having beaten Sale 5-27 and Munster 20-16.
Montpellier have been far more patchy this term and currently sit sixth on the Top 14 ladder with eight wins from their 15 outings. They just managed to scrape into the next round of the Champions Cup with their 21-21 draw with London Irish and the losing bonus point from their 35-29 away defeat to Ospreys enough to see them through.
The hosts have been scintillating at home and I can’t see Montpellier stopping them. I reckon Toulouse should clear the handicap here.
