The Top 14 returns this weekend, with Round 17 of the season throwing up a very enticing fixtures list.
Saturday 23 February
Perpignan v Agen
19h00
Stade Aime Giral
To Win
Perpignan 4/10
Draw 20/1
Agen 2/1
Agen in 12th can claim a valuable win when they take on a floundering Perpignan side at the Stade Aime Giralon Saturday. Agen are just one-point ahead of Grenoble and will be keen to get as far away from the relegation playoff place as possible.
Their 19-10 win over Toulon on the weekend ended a five-match losing run and they will look to take that momentum into Saturday’s clash against a team that has recorded just one victory all season.
Verdict: 2/1
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Bordeaux-Begles v Grenoble
19h00
Stade Chaban-Delmas
To Win
Bordeaux-Begles 1/10
Draw 25/1
Grenoble 5/1
Bordeaux will be aiming for nothing less than a bonus-point win when they host Grenoble this Saturday. Les Girondins sit just five-points outside a playoff berth in fifth and can maintain the pressure at the top with what should be a positive result this weekend.
Grenoble have struggled all season, picking up just three wins, and not much will be expected of them as they travel to the west coast.
Verdict: Bordeaux 1/10
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Toulon v Pau
19h00
Stade Mayol
To Win
Toulon 1/4
Draw 18/1
Pau 29/10
For yet another season Mourad Boudjellal’s mighty men have performed well below their paygrade. For one of the wealthiest, most talented sides in Europe, to be playing as dismally as they are is a great concern.
Their recent 19-10 loss at Agen, one of the few teams below them on the standings, was a catastrophe and has sparked intense outrage within the camp. They will be expected to beat, and thus leapfrog Pau this weekend, though the former European champions have proven time and again that they are capable of pretty much anything.
Verdict: Toulon 1/4
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Toulouse v Montpellier
19h00
Stade Ernest-Wallon
To Win
Toulouse 1/5
Draw 20/1
Montpellier 34/10
Table-toppers Toulouse will have a tough task on their hands when Montpellier visit the Stade Ernest-Wallon on Saturday. Vern Cotter’s men may have dropped the ball this season after finishing first last time out (they currently sit in ninth), but they will still pose a threat in the form of a number of world class players.
Toulouse can maintain their grip on first-place with a victory, but their forwards will need to put in a shift for the ages to topple one of the most physical sides in the competition.
Verdict: Toulouse 1/5
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La Rochelle v Stade Francais
21h45
Stade Marcel-Deflandre
To Win
La Rochelle 2/9
Draw 20/1
Stade Francais 33/10
Third-placed La Rochelle will look to maintain the pressure on Toulouse and Clermont with victory over Stade Francais on Saturday. Les Corsaires have won five of their last six games in all competitions and meet a Stade side on a three-match losing run.
The visitors missed their internationals in their recent loss to Lyon, chief among them the talismanic Sergio Parisse, but do have the potential to bounce back against La Rochelle. The hosts are due a loss and it may just come this weekend.
Verdict: Stade Francais 33/10
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Sunday 24 February
Castres v Racing 92
13h30
Stade Pierre Fabre
To Win
Castres 9/20
Draw 18/1
Racing 37/20
Defending champions Castres can leapfrog Racing 92 with a win over them this weekend. Castres delivered a solid showing to down Pau 14-9 away from home last time out and will be eager to put in a similar shift and knock Racing down a peg or two.
The visitors, however, will be hurting after narrowly going down to Toulouse at home and may just come up with the goods to maintain their place in the top seven.
Verdict: Racing 9/20
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Lyon v Clermont
17h50
Matmut Stadium Gerland
To Win
Castres 9/20
Draw 18/1
Racing 37/20
A win over second-placed Clermont this weekend will give Lyon a massive boost heading into the back end of the competition. Les Loups have enjoyed a solid campaign thus far, picking up 10-wins to see them sit in fourth position. They are eight-points adrift of Clermont on the standings but can haul them back with a big win at home on Sunday.
That said, this wily Clermont side knows how to win and you’d have to put your money on them to take it away from home.
Verdict: Clermont 7/4
