Toulouse (AFP)

While the XV of France will try to win the Six Nations Tournament, the Top 14, still cut off from two meetings for cases of Covid 19, will live its first day behind closed doors Saturday and Sunday, reconfinement requires.

"Many French people will not be able to exercise their profession and live their passion in the weeks to come. We are lucky, we need to have a behavior and an attitude that allows them to have fun and identify with themselves. we can give viewers a bit of fun during this time, that's already something. "

In three sentences, Clermont coach Franck Azéma sums up the mission of French professional rugby, faced with a historic challenge: economically survive a month of meetings behind closed doors, while its economic model depends 60% on income from matches.

"We must keep our sport alive, keep the link", abounds, contacted by AFP, the president of Pau Bernard Pontneau who, like his counterparts, awaits the help of the government to partly compensate for the losses suffered since the beginning of the pandemic.

"Otherwise", warns the Béarnais, "we cannot consider playing beyond the end of 2020".

In the meantime, the Top 14 continues without spectators, a first for the championship which had so far escaped behind closed doors, contenting itself with spectator gauges (1,000, 5,000, 10,000) vital for clubs.

"We will have to play a month like that, there are no more questions to ask", reacts the Toulouse forward coach Jean Bouilhou, who had tasted behind closed doors during the semi-final of the Coupe d ' Europe lost in Exeter.

"We were a little surprised by the silence, but afterwards everyone adapted."

Postponements, the Top 14 is however already used to it: only the 2nd and 6th days have so far been able to take place in their entirety, half of the clubs (Stade Français, Racing, Castres, Bordeaux-Bègles, Bayonne, Lyon) having already counted at least 3 cases of Covid-19 in a week within their workforce, threshold for triggering the postponement.

The 7th day will be no exception, with Bayonne-Toulon and Lyon-Montpellier postponed.

- A trio to be decided -

In a ranking still hard to read with these matches to catch up, a leading trio has emerged, made up of Toulouse, Clermont and La Rochelle.

But in this period of doubloons, the Toulouse (1st) appeared clearly weakened by the absence of their seven French internationals against Lyon, which put an end to two years of invincibility of the Stadium at home (16-7).

The trip to the Stade Français is an opportunity to bounce back, but the Parisians (10th), narrowly beaten by Racing (27-25), do not want to bow for the second time in a row to Jean-Bouin.

"We expect a very engaged game from them," said Bouilhou.

The ASM (2nd), on the upward slope after three straight wins at Marcel-Michelin, goes to Brive with the objective of obtaining a first success away from home.

"Conquest and defense will be essential in this trip", unsurprisingly sketches Azéma.

The one from La Rochelle (3rd) to Pau (5th) will also be interesting to follow, the two clubs having shown their attacking potential since the start of the season.

Racing (6th) will want to definitively digest its failure in the European Cup final by winning in Castres (13th), in search of a first success since the massive contamination of its workforce with Covid-19.

The most tense meeting will undoubtedly be the Aquitaine derby between Bordeaux-Bègles (12th) and Agen (14th): the Girondins, who have two fewer games, have not won since their first match against Brive in mid-September, while the SUA has 6 losses in as many games.

© 2020 AFP