Mounting problems: Stade Francais have had a troubled start to the new French season Photo: Michael Paler

Top 14 clubs Stade Francais and Bayonne – who played each other in San Sebastien on Friday – have both reported suspected cases of Swine Flu.

Paris giants Stade Francais were the first to confirm their squad had been hit, announcing on Monday that they believed three players had contracted the H1N1 virus – including two who travelled to play Bayonne.

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None of the players have been publicly named, although French newspaper Le Parisien suggested it was Mathieu Bastareaud, Julien Arias and Pierre Vigouroux – who all missed training on Monday.

Stade president Max Guazzini duly informed his Bayonne counterpart Francis Salagoity and on Tuesday the Basque club announced that it also had a suspected case, although again they refused to name the player. All club employees subsequently received preventative treatment and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) also confirmed it would discuss the matter at a meeting on Wednesday.

Stade, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that all three of its players who contracted Swine Flu were now recovering well. “They are no longer feverish,” confirmed Guazzini. “We were able to isolate them immediately,” he added.

But none of them will be available to play on Saturday, when the Paris club play their first home game of the season, against a rejuvenated Montpellier.

Their combined absence is just another headache for coach Ewen McKenzie, who has already had to deal with injuries, international absentees and suspensions – as well as away games at Toulon (drew 22-22) and Bayonne (lost 38-24).

McKenzie remains without Italian captain Sergio Parisse – suspended for eye-gouging while on international duty over the summer – and now looks to be denied both full-back Guillaume Bousses and centre Geoffroy Messina, who are both resting this week after picking up knocks against Bayonne. Now his selection (and preparation) has been further hit by the Swine Flu revelations.

Worst start for six years

The alarm bells may not be sounding just yet, but McKenzie will be aware that this has been Stade’s worst start for six years, and follows on from a hugely disappointing end to last season.

Indeed, Stade have now won just two of their last 10 league games (including the play-off semi-final defeat to Perpignan) in a run going back to the first week of March last season.

By way of offering hope, one of those two victories was against Montpellier – Saturday’s opponents – whom they beat 24-15 at the Stade Jean Bouin in April.

McKenzie might also point out that while they have yet to register a win they have at least acquired two points – courtesy of their opening-day draw at Toulon.

But ambitious president Guazzini will expect more after splashing the cash to recruit heavily in the summer and McKenzie and the squad are coming under increasing pressure to show their worth.

Nothing but victories will suffice in their next two games, at home to Montpellier and Montauban.

Stade Francais’ problems are in stark contrast to France’s other Stade - Stade Toulousain – despite the latter also suffering from international absentees and injuries over the opening fortnight.

Confidence is flowing for the 17-time champions after their opened the new campaign with back-to-back wins. If the last-ditch 17-16 win at Montauban underlined their team spirit, then the subsequent 38-0 drubbing of Brive highlighted the calibre of their star-studded backline.

But it hasn’t been plain sailing for Guy Noves and his coaching team, with fly-halves David Skrela and Frédéric Michalak both out injured, along with winger Maleli Kunavore, who broke an arm in a pre-season friendly against Biarritz. On Saturday they also lost full-back Maxime Médard for a month – following a dislocated shoulder – paving the way for Clement Poitrenaud to return to No 15 after starting in the centres against Brive.

This weekend they travel to defending champions Perpignan for the first really big clash of the new season, and with the Catalans still bruised from their 18-12 weekend defeat at Montpellier.

Stade will be expecting a backlash, but their own form will also be worrying Perpignan, especially that of new centre Yann David, who has so impressed since moving from Bourgoin in the summer.

The 21-year-old – capped once by France – has had a direct hand in three of Stade’s tries so far this season and earned praise from fly-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde following Saturday’s win demolition of Brive. “He has everything to succeed,” said the former international. “He is a line-breaker. He may still need to learn to wait for the right opportunity to strike but he is in the old tradition of centres. He is also intelligent and humble.”

David was expected to play second fiddle to Stade’s traditional centre pairing of Yannick Jauzion and Florian Fritz this season, but his electric start has given Noves more options. But the player himself is not getting carried away by the plaudits he is currently drawing.

“I am happy to be here in this new team and new club,” he said. “I continue my journey, I continue to work,” he told rugbyrama.

David’s former France Under-21 coach Emile N'Tamack told L’Equipe that the rising star had “muscular legs like weightlifters” and that he had never seen such a physically developed player as an 18-year-old.

Meanwhile, the Jonny Wilkinson love-in continues at Toulon, with fellow players and coaches praising the World Cup winner for both his attitude and his talent.

“With him everything is simple,” purred scrum-half and fellow new signing Pierre Mignoni. “He is perfectly integrated into the group,” added the former French international who joined from Clermont Auvergne in the summer.

Wilkinson is joint leading scorer in Top 14 – with 31 points from two games – and won plaudits for the way he ignited Toulon’s back line against Racing-Metro 92 at the weekend.

“He works hard, a little too much,” said forwards coach Aubin Hueber, before adding that Wilkinson was “a great guy” and “very respectful of the hierarchy within the team”. The coach also believes he has only reached 70% of his potential as he continues to feel his way back into top level rugby after 10 months out.