. In the West, a new shock

Stamped "derby of the Atlantic" despite the 200 km or almost that separate them, the clash between UBB and Stade Rochelais has established itself in recent years as a new classic of the championship.

It is a recipe in any case: the Matmut Atlantique (42,115 seats), usual den of the Girondins de Bordeaux, will be sold out Saturday evening (21:05). A historic attendance record for the Gironde club.

After a difficult start to the season, UBB, deprived of its international opener Matthieu Jalibert, injured, has completely relaunched itself in the race for the final phase (5th).

© XAVIER LEOTY / AFP

It could even in case of success surpass its "neighbor" La Rochelle, second in the ranking and probably vengeful after its defeat at home in the first leg in December (12-8).

A little further south, the match between Aviron Bayonnais and Section Paloise will also be played in a football stadium: that of Real Sociedad, in San Sebastian.

In front of nearly 39,000 people, the promoted Basque, surprise team of the season (6th), will try to maintain its invincibility at home against Béarnais in delicate situation, in the penultimate place.

. Toulouse skips

The Castres-Toulouse derby will have a little less glitz without most of the Toulouse internationals, rested after the Six Nations Tournament and in the run-up to the Champions Cup quarter-final against the South African Bulls.

With his 11-point lead at the end of a period of duplicates much better negotiated this year, the leader allows himself a dead end, even if he will still have some arguments to make with Peato Mauvaka, Melvyn Jaminet, Matthis Lebel or Pierre-Louis Barassi.

This weakened Stade Toulousain is a boon for its neighbor Tarnais (11th), fighting for maintenance, like Perpignan (12th), which hosts the defending champions, Montpellier (9th), and Brive (14th), condemned to the feat in the derby of the Massif Central at its rival Clermont (10th) not to be definitively left behind.

In the first half of the ranking, Toulon (7th) will look to continue its rise on the field of Lyon (4th), the former team of Var coach Pierre Mignoni.

Toulon scrum-half Baptiste Serin (C) during the Top 14 rugby match against Stade Français in Toulon on March 4, 2023 © Christophe SIMON / AFP

"I am very happy to return there, to a club and a stadium where I have very good memories. I'm happy to find the men, quite simply," the former scrum-half told AFP, but does not intend to give them gifts. "It's an important game. He can tip us to the right side."

. A Ile-de-France derby in a final bouquet

Established in 2018 by the National Rugby League (NRL) to put fans in the spotlight, this special championship day, called "Fan Days", will close Sunday (21:05) with a fireworks display in Jean-Bouin with Stade français-Racing 92.

Stade Français and Racing 92 face off on September 4, 2021 at the Jean-Bouin stadium for a Ile-de-France derby of the Top 14 rugby © GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

A Ile-de-France derby that smells of powder between the Parisians, who fell to third place after being second for a long time, and the Racingmen, only eighth, who surely still have their heavy defeat in mind the first leg at the Arena (10-48).

"We lost our second place, but our goal is to win the Top 14," South African Pink Soldiers world champion Vincent Koch told AFP this week.

"We had a bad game in Toulon (defeat 37-9), we must rectify the shot," he insisted. "The guys are ready to face Racing and show what they are worth."

© 2023 AFP