a “final” for La Rochelle, Toulon, Bayonne and Racing are waiting for a boost… The challenges of the last day

If Toulouse, Lyon and Bordeaux-Bègles are already qualified for the round of 16, four other French clubs are playing for their future in the competition this weekend.

Time for the big finale. The fourth and final day of the Champions Cup group stage is scheduled for this weekend, with a decisive Glasgow-Toulon to open the ball, Friday January 19. The RCT game will have the feel of the round of 16 to allow access to the elimination phase, like the Racing and Bayonne matches, but their destiny does not depend only on them. La Rochelle, the title holder, for its part, has the cards in hand.

Already qualified, Bordeaux-Bègles and Toulouse, who won all their matches with the offensive bonus, as well as Lyon, want to be part of the two best teams in this phase. A position which not only offers a weaker opponent in the round of 16, but also the benefit of playing at home in the next rounds. Franceinfo: sport summarizes the issues for French clubs.

They play their qualification

• Racing, RCT and Bayonne do not have their destiny in their hands

Fifth in group 2, Racing 92 is fighting for its survival and no longer has its destiny in its hands before hosting Cardiff, sixth in the group. To hope to recover Ulster’s fourth qualifying place, the Ciel et Blanc need a boost from Harlequins, who face the Irish a few hours earlier on Saturday. In the event of success for the English, it will be up to Gaël Fickou’s teammates to win, if possible with the offensive bonus which would avoid having to take out the calculators. If Ulster wins, Racing will only play to keep its ticket to the Challenge Cup.

In group 3, despite three defeats and a last place, Toulon can still qualify. For this, we must win, Friday, on the ground of the Glasgow Warriors, who occupy fourth place, by preventing their opponents from taking bonuses to avoid apothecary accounts. The Scots are in fact two points ahead of the RCT.

But Bayonne also has a say in this three-way battle in Pool 3. Fifth with one point ahead of Toulon, Aviron hosts an Exeter team still undefeated in the Champions Cup. If the Pyrénées-Atlantiques club wins, it could join the fight for fourth place, and even beat a hypothetical victorious RCT in Scotland.

The title holder from La Rochelle completely revived last weekend by dominating Leicester (45-12). Before the last day, he was virtually qualified by occupying 4th place. With two points ahead in the standings over Sale, to whom it travels, Stade Rochelais must finish the job by simply avoiding defeat. A victory combined with a defeat for Leicester against Leinster, or the Stormers at Stade Français, would even give the Maritimes a better position for the round of 16.

They play a better position for the round of 16

Qualified for the rest after three victories in three matches, Union Bordeaux-Bègles wants to finish the job against the Blue Bulls in Pretoria, in pool 1. In the event of an improved victory, the Girondins will be assured of first place in the group, but also a seeded status allowing them to reach the semi-finals, regardless of the other results of the weekend. A cherry on the cake which could escape them with a victory without bonus.

Lyon is nevertheless on the lookout for a Girondin misstep. With 12 points on the clock, Lou can dream of stealing the leader’s seat. If theUBB loses without a bonus, Lyon will simply have to win at Saracens. With a bonus point for the Unionists in South Africa, Fabien Gengenbacher’s men would then need an improved victory in London. But be careful not to fall back to third place in the group in the event of a setback.

Like UBB, Stade Toulouse can avoid any travel between now and the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The reception of the English from Bath, co-leaders of group 2 with the Toulouse residents, is a final to award first place.

They are playing for their place in the Challenge Cup

As for Stade Français, already eliminated from the Champions Cup with zero victories on the clock, only a bonus success against the South African Stormers, combined with a defeat without a bonus for Sale in La Rochelle, can allow them to secure a place in Challenge.