Rugby’s glitz and glamour league is getting set for its sixth round of this young season as the top French club sides continue their marathon of mini sprints once again this weekend.

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Although the European winter has begun to cast its long, cold shadow over the continent, the action in the Top 14 remains red hot.

Settling into a hierarchy of the who’s who within the league, the opening five rounds of action have seen several of the usual contenders flex their muscles.

Classy Southerners Leading The Charge 

Leading the charge heading into round six are last season’s losing finalist, Bordeaux-Begles, who, to date, have looked mesmerizingly magnificent.

Spearheading the club from the famous southwest wine region have been several international stars, namely one Damian Penaud.

Now 28 years old, the winger continues to age like a fine bottle of Chateau Margaux and remains scarily good as he tops the try-scoring charts with five.

Supporting the former Clermont star is a backline that would not look out of place in the blue of France. In fact the bulk of said backline are French internationals with the halfback pairing of Maxime Lucu and Mathieu Jalibert oozing class as they seamlessly glide through opposition defenders.

Unsurprisingly the pairing sit near the top of the key categories of passes completed, kicks completed and in Jalibert’s case points scored.

Setting the platform for this backline magic is a pack that has clearly taken their learnings from their humbling loss in last season’s final at the hands of Toulouse.

These lessons combined with some clever new signings namely Scotland international Jonny Gray who currently tops the league’s tackle charts sees this Bordeaux team produce a more balanced style of play than the all out attack of a season ago.

Now that they are getting set to host a Perpignan side who sits just below the middle of the pack and has lost dynamic forward Posolo Tuilagi for the season, Bordeaux will fancy their chances to add to their log points this weekend.

Putting in place the perfect pieces to make a run towards yet another final this season, Bordeaux has quickly become the neutral fan’s darlings and is well worth following for those looking to get into the Top 14.

Undeniable Power As Bullies Return

Mirroring Bordeaux in table position only are two-time European champions La Rochelle, who currently sit joint on 18 points with their southern rivals.

Comparisons between the two sides can be firmly parked at their log position with Ronan O’Gara’s side offering the ying to Bordeaux’s yang in what is an interesting contrast in mindsets between two of the most successful sides of the past few years.

Entering this season after a down season by their own high standards, Stade Rochelais looks as formidable as they did when they claimed back-to-back Investec Champions Cup titles.

Clearly driven by the want to match their continental success with domestic success as they chase an elusive Top 14 title, this season has the makings of something special on the Atlantic coast.

Whilst there is little doubt they will want to regain their European crown, noises from the camp are that the Top 14 is this season’s Everest.

Approaching this season with a ruthlessly efficient and brutal physical game plan, La Rochelle seems like a side built to sustain a long and, at times, arduous season.

Of course, to complete their objective, they will need to overcome Toulouse, their hoodoo side, Bordeaux, and a handful of other lethal sides to claim the title.

Powered by the unmatched physicality of their dominant pack, which consists of some of rugby’s most physically imposing men in Will Skelton, Gregory Alldritt, Uini Antonio, Redi Wardi, Levani Botia and many more, La Rochelle resembles an old-school downhill running NFL team. Expect O’Gara’s men to pulverise opponents this season, and in round six, Bayonne have a feeling of a side who are next in line for the meat grinder.

Game Of The Week

As ever, with a league with more parity than any other in the professional game, every fixture this week has an interesting subplot to follow.

One fixture that does catch the eye, however, is a rivalry straight out of the mid-2000s as an ascending Clermont side travels to Toulouse.

Welcoming back their superstar scrumhalf Antoine Dupont this week following his sojourn to the United States for some much-needed downtime, where he hung out with Lionel Messi, Lebron James and others, Toulouse will enter this fixture as favourites.

Despite the bookies' assessment of the fixture, this match has the potential to be a humdinger, with the side from the Massif Central building nicely once again. Looking to claw their way back to contender status, Clermont has gathered a squad that combines experience with promising young talent.

This week's encounter with the most complete team in the league will be a great barometer for the side that proudly wears the Michelin logo on its chest.

For Toulouse, this contest presents an interesting challenge, with Clermont’s physical forward pack and explosive backs being no pushovers.

Add to the mix the fact that the men in black and red need a win to keep pace with their main rivals, Bordeaux and La Rochelle, and one can expect Toulouse to come out swinging.

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