Champions Cup. Bordeaux-Bègles, Toulouse, Toulon, La Rochelle… an update on the situation of French clubs

After a busy schedule during the holidays with the Top 14, no respite for the French clubs who are back on the European scene for the 3rd day of Champions Cup which will be played from Saturday 11 to Sunday 12 January 2025. Before tackling the latter, focus on the situation of French clubs engaged in the race for the star.

A qualification in your pocket?

If the mano a mano between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles risks animate the summits of the Top 14 ranking this season, it is the same for pool 1 of this Champions Cup. Returned to the same group, the two French teams have almost booked their ticket for the final stages. From now on, Toulouse and Bordelais will indulge a distance duel for first placenecessarily advantageous for the rest of the competition.

With two improved victories and 10 points on the clock, the two clubs are tied, but Toulouse are ahead thanks to goal average. The last two days will therefore be crucial to decide between them. UBB will try to catch up on the Exeter pitch this Saturday January 11 (4:15 p.m.) before hosting the Sharks on Sunday January 19 (2 p.m.). At the same time, Toulouse will have to perform in Durban (Saturday January 11, 4:15 p.m.) and when hosting Leicester (Sunday January 19, 4:15 p.m.) for the final meeting.

If their domination is less obvious, La Rochelle and Toulon are also on the right track to validate the ticket giving access to the rest of the competition. Building on a victory in Bath (20-24) and an improved success against Bristol (35-7), the Rochelais are at the top of their group with 9 points. Only Leinster could steal first place from the Maritimes. And that’s good, the two teams will meet again this Sunday January 12 (4:15 p.m.) on the pitch at Marcel-Deflandre. The opportunity for La Rochelle to take off before traveling to Treviso for the last day on January 18.

After its big victory on the Stormers pitch (14-24) during the first day, Toulon followed with one breath at Mayol against Glasgow (30-29) to take the reins of group 4 with 8 points. With the reception of Harlequins (3ᵉ, 5 points), this Sunday January 12 (2 p.m.) the RCT has a great opportunity to secure its position before going to challenge Sale (January 19, 6:30 p.m.) to close the group stage.

Everything is still possible

Behind the French quartet which leads the European dance, Castres, Clermont and Racing 92 can also interfere in the rest of this Champions Cup. From this perspective, the Clermontois seem to be off to a good start. ASM is 3rd with 5 points in pool 2 and can potentially come back to the leading duo La Rochelle-Leinster. To achieve this, the Auvergne squad must bring back points from their trip to Bath (Sunday January 12, 6:30 p.m.) and win on home soil against Bristol (Saturday January 18, 4:15 p.m.).

In Tarn, the situation is similar. The Castres are in fourth place in their group with 4 units. After its big initial defeat at Northampton (38-8), the CO gave itself hope by beating Munster (16-14). A victory against the Bulls at home (Saturday January 11, 9 p.m.) would practically open the doors to the final stages and would allow a trip to Saracens (Sunday January 19, 4:15 p.m.) without the pressure of the result.

While the backstage has been quite eventful lately at Racing 92, notably with the departure of Camille Chat, the Ile-de-France residents are still in the running in the Champions Cup. In a fairly homogeneous group 4, the Hauts-de-Seine club (5ᵉ, 4 points) is only 5 units behind the Toulon leader. The trip to Glasgow, this Friday January 10 (9 p.m.), can be a first step towards qualification for Stuart Lancaster's men before hosting the Stormers in the last match (Saturday January 18, 9 p.m.).

Two matches to save honor

If most French clubs are still in the race, things risk getting complicated for Stade Français. The pink soldiers lost the first two matches, at Munster (33-7) and against Saracens (17-28) and the reception of leader Northampton (Saturday January 11 at 6:30 p.m.) promises to be perilous.

In the event of a bad operation, the Parisians will head to Pretoria to try to save their honor against the Bulls. But matches in South Africa are rarely fun. Besides the results, Stade Français will seek to reassure itself in its game on the European scene before returning to the Top 14 for a crucial trip to Vannes at the end of January.

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