PREVIEW: La Rochelle face Toulon and more from the Top 14

The drama of the French top tier will continue to unfold this week with Round 7 of the Top 14 getting underway on Saturday.

Last weekend saw a couple of results bordering on upsets with Castres beating Montpellier 26-13 and Bayonne registering a 29-13 win over La Rochelle.

We’re in for a cracking weekend of French rugby action that could well see more upsets. The three games that catch the eye are clashes between Montpellier and Lyon, Bordeaux and Racing as well as the final fixture of the weekend which sees La Rochelle play host to Toulon.

Saturday 15 October

Brive 51/20 | Draw 22/1 | Toulouse 32/100 (15:00)

Handicap
Brive (+8.5) 17/20 | Toulouse (-8.5) 17/20

We kick things off over at the Stade Amedee-Domenech where 11th-placed Brive will welcome first-placed Toulouse.

The hosts have managed two wins from their opening fixtures with the victories coming over fellow minnows Bayonne (25-22) and Perpignan (6-17). They have struggled against the big dogs however, and this was evident last weekend when they were hammered 47-0 by Toulon.

Toulouse have enjoyed a far more fruitful start to their campaign winning four of their opening five fixtures with their solitary defeat coming at the hands of Pau (26-16). They head into this one off the back of a very tidy result as they beat Clermont 46-10 this past Sunday.

The visitors are in red-hot form and should have no trouble getting one over a Brive side who are likely to be involved in a mammoth relegation scrap. I’m on the (-8.5) here. 

Perpignan 21/20 | Draw 28/1 | Clermont 81/100 (17:00)

Perpignan will be looking to get out of the relegation zone when they take on a Clermont side that has blown hot and cold thus far.

The hosts have registered two wins from their opening six games but currently lie in 13th spot on the Top 14 ladder. They had a miserable time in Round 6 as they were hammered 52-3 by a rampant Stade Francais in Paris.

Clermont, who have registered three wins from their six games, also endured a rather disappointing Round 6 as they were beaten 46-10 by early season pace-setters, Toulouse.

I actually rather fancy the hosts here. Clermont have not been great on the road this term and Perpignan could well take advantage of this.

Castres 1/11 | Draw 33/1 | Bayonne 6/1 (17:00)

Handicap
Castres (-14.5) 8/10 | Bayonne (+14.5) 9/10

Castres and Bayonne are next to square up this Saturday. The hosts currently reside in ninth spot on the Top 14 ladder having won three of their six games while Bayonne are a place above them with the exact same amount of ladder points but superior points differential.

Both teams enjoyed solid outings last week with Bayonne springing a surprise at home as they beat a solid La Rochelle team 29-13, while Castres beat reigning champions Montpellier 26-13.

This is another game that I reckon will go the way of the hosts. They generally give a decent account of themselves on home soil while Bayonne are not to flash on the road. I’m not sure they’ll clear a pretty steep handicap, though.

Pau 52/100 | Draw 21/1 | Stade 33/20

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

Saturday’s action continues over at the Stade du Hameau where cellar-dwellers Pau will take on a Stade Francais side on the up.

Pau have endured a tough start to their 2022/23 campaign with only two wins to show from their six games. They have faced some solid sides during this run, and while their form has been poor, they have produced a couple eye-catching wins as they beat Toulouse 26-16 in mid-September.

Stade have been slightly more consistent than their opponents registering three wins from their opening six. They were in great form last weekend as they hammered Perpignan 52-3.

Pau are struggling, and while I reckon the final scoreline will be tight, my money is on the visitors getting the job done. Some decent value here as well at 33/20.

Montpellier 21/100 | Draw 25/1 | Lyon 36/10 (17:00)

Handicap
Montpellier (-10.5) 17/20 | Lyon (+10.5) 17/20

Next up we’ve got two sides who have endured rather slow starts to the campaign squaring off with 10th-placed Lyon taking on fourth-placed Montpellier.

Both teams have registered three wins from their first five games with Montpellier holding the loftier ladder position due to their penchant for claiming bonus points.

The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes last weekend with Montpellier going down 26-13 to Castres while Lyon managed a solid win beating Bordeaux 36-21.

Montpellier have looked the better side overall this season. And with home advantage, should get the job done. 

Bordeaux 42/100 | Draw 21/1 | Racing 2/1 (21:05)

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

On to the penultimate game of Round 7 which will see seventh-placed Racing make the trip from Paris to down south to take on 12th-placed Bordeaux.

With both sides desperate to claim the win to kick start their respective seasons, we could see fireworks at the Stade Chaban-Delmas.

In terms of the sides’ Round 6 efforts, Bordeaux were comfortably beaten away from home by a hit-and-miss Lyon side, while Racing recorded a respectable 26-13 win over Pau.

Again, home-ground advantage swings this one for me. Bordeaux have been decent at the Chaban-Delmas while Racing have hardly set the world alight on their travels during the early salvos of the season.

Sunday 16 October

La Rochelle 26/100 | Draw 25/1 | Toulon 3/1 (21:05)

Handicap
La Rochelle (10.5) 17/20 | Toulon (+10.5) 17/20

The round draws to a close at the Stade Marcel Delfrandre where third-placed La Rochelle will play host to second-placed Toulon. Both sides have enjoyed great starts to the campaign and a win here would cement either as potential title contenders.

Toulon had a great time of it in Round 6 as a fit again Cheslin Kolbe started the onslaught with an early try. The score opened the floodgates with Toulon eventually running out 47-0 victors over Brive.

La Rochelle did not fare as well in the previous round as they suffered a shock 29-13 loss away to Bayonne. This was their second defeat of the campaign with their other loss coming against Clemont a fortnight prior.

I don’t often back Toulon to get the business done on the road, but they’re enjoying a purple patch while La Rochelle have not looked great in recent weeks.