Final matchday of the regular season: standings still wide open

The regular season is drawing to a close. While three final matchups remain to be played at the end of August, only two teams, Béziers and La Rochelle, will have officially completed their championship on Sunday night.

And this last matchday promises to be decisive at every level of the standings. From the top spot to the final playoff spots, several teams have everything to play for this weekend.

Top of the table on the line

Rouen vs Montpellier

At home, the Rouen Huskies have proven they’re a team that rises to the occasion in big games. Hosting Montpellier, the current league leaders, is a true summit clash.

A doubleheader sweep by Rouen would bring the Huskies level with Montpellier, or even hand them the championship lead—provided they back it up against Sénart on August 29.

Because the schedule sets up one last top-of-the-table showdown: Montpellier will travel to Savigny on August 29, also in contention for the top spot, on the same day.

For the Barracudas, the end of the season looks like a gauntlet. Two road trips to the two teams currently occupying the top two spots await them. A single slip-up in either of these clashes could prove costly and drop them to third place.

Fourth place up for grabs

Sénart vs Savigny

La Rochelle vs Toulouse

The race for fourth place is also heating up.

Savigny travels to Sénart this weekend before hosting Montpellier on August 29. The Lions can’t afford any slip-ups if they want to stay in the playoff hunt. Two underwhelming performances could see them tumble to third place.

For Sénart, the math is different: this matchup is likely their last chance to overtake La Rochelle and claim fourth place, currently held by the Buccaneers. La Rochelle, in turn, hosts Toulouse. A Toulouse side that no longer has any hope of securing a playoff spot. The Toulousains could approach these final two games with far less pressure—especially their last two meetings against La Rochelle and PUC on August 29.

A scenario that could work in the Buccaneers’ favor. To hold onto fourth place, La Rochelle will need to deliver strong performances in both of their remaining games and hope Sénart doesn’t win all four of their final matchups. Suffice to say, the fight for the last playoff spot will be intense until the very end.

Sixth place still in play

Béziers vs PUC

The battle for sixth place remains wide open as well.

Béziers hosts PUC and could use this matchup to close the gap on Toulouse. The Biterrois still have a card to play in this race and could find themselves in the mix. Toulouse, meanwhile, holds the advantage in the fight for sixth. Even if they lose to La Rochelle, the Toulousains will still have one last shot on August 29 against PUC to hold their position—provided they win.

From the title to the podium, fourth place, and even the final playoff spot, nothing is decided yet.

The last matchday of the regular season could reshuffle the deck at multiple levels. One thing’s for sure: come Sunday night, the standings will already reveal part of the picture… but we’ll have to wait until August 29 for the final order of teams to be set in stone.