JAMES HARRINGTON
FRENCH COLUMN

IT’S very much a case of so far, so good for Top 14 leaders Toulouse, who headed into this ninth weekend of the season with seven wins from eight, 32 points out of a possible 40 and a nine-point lead over second-placed Stade Francais.
But, now, the going starts to get tough. They face their first matches of the season – at Bayonne, where no previous visiting side has won this season – shorn of international call-ups.
Nine regulars in Ugo Mola’s squad have been retained by Fabien Galthie for France’s first Test of the Autumn Nations Series, against Australia,...