Stade Rochelais vs RC Toulonnais Prediction: A tough encounter than it looks on paper

In round one of the France Top 14, Stade Rochelais will play RC Toulonnais at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. Heading into the new season, the two teams will have high aspirations and will look to have a positive start. Let’s preview the game before us and provide betting options. 

Stade Rochelais comes into the new season as an overwhelming favorite and will look to keep things running. Last season, Stade Rochelais finished 5th with 66 points from 26 matches. In those matches, Stade Rochelais scored 595 goals while conceding 496. In the playoffs, Stade Rochelais defeated RC Toulonnais in the quarterfinals while losing to Stade Toulousain in the semis. 

RC Toulonnais did well to finish 4th last season, which was good enough to see them make the playoffs. In that season, the RC Toulonnais side had 69 points from 26 matches, scoring 704 goals and conceding 519. However, their last matches into this fixture saw them lose to Stade Francais Paris and Stade Rochelais. 

I will take the Stade Rochelais to win this fixture and back them confidently. RC Toulonnais were decent last season but did not do well to make it out of the playoffs. This should be the game of the better side, and I am backing them to win with ease. However, the odds look too thick, and I am backing the road side to cover the spread.