Top 14 Round 20: Preview

Frans Steyn: Returns to action for Racing Metro

While the main draw in France this weekend will be the RBS Six Nations clash with England, the Top 14 ploughs on regardless.

Play-off chasing Racing Metro get the action underway on Friday night when they entertain Bordeaux-Begles.

Racing, who were in danger of dropping out of the play-off picture, have now won their last two games and will be confident of completing a hat-trick against the Top 14 newcomers.

Bordeaux were sitting pretty a few weeks ago but three consecutive losses - including heavy defeats in Toulon and Biarritz - have reawakened the threat of relegation.

Racing have made five changes to their team as Frans Steyn returns to the midfield and Mathieu Loree starts at scrum-half.

Lionel Nallet, Mirco Bergamasco and Andrea Lo Cicero are away on Six Nations duty.

Firsts plays fourth as Toulouse and Castres clash at Stade Ernest Wallon on Saturday.

Just three teams have managed to beat Toulouse this season, but one of them was Castres.

However no one has been able to upset the champions at home and even though Castres have won four times on the road this season they drew with Lyon last time out and registered just two wins in their last five games.

Toulouse, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from defeat in Clermont last week - their first in 12 games - which saw their lead at the top of the standings cut to four points.

Toulouse didn't play their strongest available team in Clermont so expect Luke McAlister to be promoted from the bench.

Motivation

Agen remain in the hunt for a top-six spot but they will face a difficult encounter against Clermont who have practically assured their place in the semi-finals.

Clermont travel without pressure but will be missing no less than 14 players through international call ups and injury.

Clermont are unbeaten in eight games but travel to Stade Armandie - where they have lost on their previous two visits - with a young-looking side.

Biarritz did their survival hopes the world of good as Dimitri Yachvili returned to guide them to their first bonus-point win of the season against Bordeaux - and they will look to build on that against Brive.

The visitors will not lack for motivation though as they too are fighting to avoid the drop. Despite having won three of their last four games, Brive find themselves in the bizarre situation of having a positive points difference but have lost as many games as bottom side Lyon.

It's a sign of Brive's solid defence, which should worry Biarritz, who have one or the poorest attacks in the league. But with Yachvili back, the Basques will believe that anything is possible.

Montpellier will look to return to winning ways when they tackle Bayonne.

After winning eight out of nine games, Montpellier's run came to grinding halt in Toulon last week - with them desperately missed the creative magic of François Trinh-Duc.

And they will have to do without Trinh-Duc once again as he sits on the bench at the Stade de France in Sunday's Six Nation's clash with England.

Bayonne have yet to win away from home this season, in fact the Basques have only managed three losing bonus point on the road.

Winless

But the point garnered in Paris last week will give Bayonne hope as they came within inches of upsetting Racing Metro. Indeed their record of one win in nine starts belies their recent strong form, which saw the hold high-flying Clermont to a draw.

After yet another loss on the road Stade Francais will have zero margin for error when they face Lyon.

The Parisians are unbeaten at home this season but have been a "Jekyll-and-Hyde" team as away from home they've been woeful. Including the draw to Toulon a fortnight ago, Stade are winless in four games and have dropped to eighth in the standings.

Despite having the worst defensive record in France, Michael Cheika's team will expect to beat Lyon, who have really struggled to score tries this term.

Last season's Pro D2 champions did well to scrape a 6-6 draw in Castres last weekend but are likely to be outgunned in the capital

The Mediterranean derby betweenToulon and Perpignan

While Toulon are looking to secure a home play-off, Perpignan are fighting to keep their place in the top division.

Just two points clear of the relegation zone, Perpignan's Heineken Cup quarter-final win over Toulon last year must seems like an age ago for the struggling Catalans.

The 38-0 thrashing in Toulon earlier in the season is an illustration of just how badly the wheels have come off.

Stade Aimé-Giral was once an impenetrable fortress but USAP have lost four of their last six games at home.

Toulon by contrast are in a rich vein of form and look set to host a play-off. RCT will fancy a repeat of their 29-20 win in Perpignan last year, despite missing Bakkies Botha, Jonny Wilkinson, Benjamin Lapeyre and Davit Kubriashvili.

Perpignan welcome back Kévin Boulogne, Grégory Le Corvec, Rudy Coetzee, Perry Freshwater and Farid Sid but will have to do without Six Nations participants James Hook, Nicolas Mas and Maxime Mermoz.