After a fallow week of European rugby, the Top 14 returns with the business end of the season entering full flow.

There are plenty of enticing clashes for fans to get excited about but amidst all the hype, one game may just stand above the rest.

That is the Saturday afternoon head-to-head between Racing 92 and Bayonne at the La Defense Arena.

The battle of the light blue and white promises to be a riotous occasion, made for the indoor arena. The jeopardy is high, with both teams sitting next to each other in the league, fighting for a lower spot in the upcoming playoffs.

At present Racing have the advantage and are seventh, however Bayonne are just two points shy of the Parisians and can overtake them with a win on Saturday.

The impact of such a result cannot be underestimated. Both teams sit right on the brink, tethering on the edge of missing out on a potential post-season.

Either side could reinforce their hunt for a late league charge with a win, but lose and they may just drop out of contention all together.

It might be too brash to suggest this is a winner-takes-all game, but it doesn’t feel far off from that.

And to make things even more exciting, both bearers of the baby blue shirt possess an international calibre ten, capable of orchestrating a pristine performance like the finest of conductors.

Finn Russell needs no introduction. He is a firecracker playmaker with the unmatched ability to pick the right pass at precisely the right moment, cutting open an opposition defence on demand.

His foe for the day, Camille Lopez, is more pragmatic and less of an improviser, but his ability to marshall an attack with brutal efficiency and deliver pin-point kicking makes him a more than worthy adversary.

Since his arrival in the summer, the former Pro-D2 outfit have soared in the top flight, picking up wins against La Rochelle and Toulouse earlier in the season.

Anyone who thought Lopez was washed up after leaving Clermont to join the newly promoted Bayonne has been proven dramatically wrong.

Admittedly, Bayonne now find themselves in a rather less prolific position, having lost three of their last four league games, including dubs against relegation strugglers Pau and Perpignan, but notwithstanding that they still remain in with a shot of winning an unlikely league title.

Evidently the arrival of the former starting French flyhalf has transformed Bayonne from a relegation contender into a genuine playoff wildcard.

Racing can also be attributed to the overarching success of their south western opponents, after letting go of long-term scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, letting him join Bayonne instead. 

Since then, Machenaud and Lopez have developed a cogent relationship which has born fruits on the field. Only last round the pair found themselves crossing the whitewash for a try each in their 33-30 win against Montpellier.

Taking up post against Machenaud will probably be the young flyer Nolann Le Garrec, a rough diamond who, on his day, can turn a game on its head.

Racing will need a bit of that magic if they are to fully recover from the crushing 30-21 loss they suffered to Perpignan in the previous round and the generally turbulent run of form they seem to be on.

They have more than enough talent in the rafters to put their season back on track, with the likes of Cameron Woki and Gael Fickou preparing to put on the shirt. 

But there is no doubt they will face a tough test when Bayonne come to visit. All this will make for a fascinating 80 minutes of rugby, which will likely run right to the wire.

Despite it being a close call, Flo Rugby thinks Bayonne will do much like they did in early September and outscore the Parisians to secure a double over them in the league.

A win of such magnitude may just push Bayonne within playoff contention and cap off a stellar return season in the Top 14.