French clubs battling on two fronts as Top 14 race heats up

Six French clubs are in action across the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals this weekend but none have secured a playoff spot in the Top 14.

In the most competitive season since 2011, a total of nine clubs are still in the running for the Top 14 playoffs with not a single club booking their place in the knockouts yet.

In the United Rugby Championship, all eight slots in the competition's playoffs have been claimed with the final rankings to be confirmed in the final two rounds of the competition.

Over in the Premiership, Leicester Tigers and Saracens have kept their European double hopes alive securing a semi-final spot. 

It is a different story entirely for the French clubs as they gear up for a testing month. Mathematically, Top 14 league leaders Montpellier could miss out on the domestic playoffs altogether. 

TOP14 LEAGUE TABLE 

With 69 points, Montpelier led second-placed Bordeaux by just two points and sixth-placed Toulouse by seven points. 

In the Top 14, the top two sides are straight into the semi-finals of the competition with the clubs ranked third to sixth going into the qualifying playoffs (AKA barrage)

Montpellier are away to fellow Top 14 playoff hopefuls La Rochelle in the Champions Cup quarter-finals this weekend before hosting fourth-placed Racing 92 and ninth-placed Clermont. All three teams are still in with a chance in the domestic competition.

Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle side ranks seventh domestically and have a home game against Stade Francais and an away trip to Lyon to finish the season.

Meanwhile, defending Top 14 champions Toulouse face the daunting task of tackling Munster at the Aviva Stadium this weekend. 

Toulouse claimed a crucial 23-16 win over La Rochelle last weekend. Ugo Mola's side has a somewhat easier run in the final two rounds of the domestic competition.

They host relegation-threatened Brive in the penultimate round before hosting Biarritz, whose relegation to the PROD2 next season has been confirmed.

Lyon claimed a massive 43-20 win over Montpellier last week and will fight it out with the Glasgow Warriors for a place in the final four of the Challenge Cup this week.

In the Top 14, Lyon are ranked fifth overall but they do have a testing final two rounds with an away trip to Bordeaux before hosting La Rochelle.

Ranked eighth overall domestically, Toulon have league fixtures against Pau (H) and Racing 92 (A) to end their regular season.

This weekend's action in the two European competitions are bound to have a massive impact on the final two rounds of the Top 14 as the teams battle out in two competitions. 

While six of the top nine sides in the Top 14 battle it out in Europe, the remaining three have at least one less fixture over the next month.

The likes of Bordeaux, Castres, and Clermont can focus solely on their domestic playoff hopes. 

CHALLENGE CUP & CHAMPIONS CUP FIXTURES