Perpignan's recent fly-half curse shows no sign of abating for the season ahead following confirmation that Nicolas Laharrague is likely to be out for two to three months.

While the Catalan club has not yet disclosed the exact nature of Laharrague's injury, it continues a debilitating run of injuries to their chosen No 10s. Two seasons ago - when they won the French title - they used nine players in that position during the season, including just four appearances from high-profile Kiwi signing Dan Carter.

They somehow muddled through with a mish-mash of replacements, as well as a number of converted fly-halves, and looked destined to go down the same route again at the start of the 2010/11 season.

Top 14 Transfers 2010/11

President Paul Goze has not, however, ruled out the possibility of signing a 'medical joker'. "We are considering the opportunity to recruit an extra player. A decision is expected early this week," confirmed Goze.

South African centre Gavin Hume could fill in - although he would prefer to stay in the centres - while scrum-halves David Mele and Kevin Boulogne could also conceivably cover the position.

For Laharrague, 28, his latest injury also continues the bad luck that dogged him during the second-half of last season when he was sidelined by a sprained knee and a fractured hand.

  Top 14 Fixtures 2010/11

Big-spending Toulon have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign All Black winger Joe Rokocoko, according to an interview given by the player.

The Auckland Blues winger revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald that Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal had offered him $1m to join the ambitious Top 14 side, hoping to entice him to play alongside the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Carl Hayman, George Smith, Joe van Niekerk, Paul Sackey and Rudi Wulf.

Capturing the services of the 27-year-old international would be another major transfer coup for Toulon, but Rokocoko said his current priority was to win back his All Blacks starting position and to consolidate his berth for the 2011 World Cup being held in New Zealand, despite his NZRU contract expiring in November.

"I've committed for another four to five months to the NZRU and that's what it says in my contract and this is my sole focus," he told the SMH. "There are going to be things like that [the Toulon offer] which pop in and out from overseas, especially with clubs knowing players might be quite vulnerable right now - even more so with players who miss out on playing for the international team.

"I'm standing firm on my decision to try to make this team again and I'm pretty disappointed I'm not playing this weekend as well because I want to make sure my spot is still in this team," added Rokocoko.

The 63-time capped All Black missed out on New Zealand's weekend win over South Africa as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

But while Toulon may have missed out no Rokocoko - at least until after the World Cup - they appear to have made significant strides in their ongoing quest to sign Springbok lock Bakkies Botha.

Botha was previously linked with Toulon two seasons ago, but had to forego his agreed switch due to contractual obligations with the Blue Bulls in South Africa. Now, however, it appears that he is lining up a move to the star-studded Core d'Azur club when his national contract expires at the end of the 2011 World Cup.

Weekend press reports in South Africa claimed Botha - who was in Toulon for talks at the end of the last season - had now agreed a three-year deal worth nearly €500,000 per season.

The 30-year-old is currently serving a nine-week suspension for headbutting Australia's Jimmy Cowan in Auckland recently.

Toulon, meanwhile, became the first Top 14 side to play a pre-season friendly when they took on Aix-en-Provence in Draguignan on Friday night. The charity match was a hastily arranged fund-raiser for the victims of Draguignan's recent flash floods, but Toulon used the occasion to give run-outs to several summer recruits, including Wulf, Sackey and Hayman.

The match was little more than a glorified training session as it was split into four 20 minute quarters, with each focusing on a different aspect of the side (eg. defence, attack etc). Wulf sustained a slight ankle knock, but should be fine to take his place in their first friendly proper, when they host Lyon OU on Saturday.

One last piece of Toulon news - the club has confirmed that it will host its home games against Stade Toulousain and Clermont Auvergne at Marseille's Stade Vélodrome. Toulon have played Toulouse there in each of the previous two seasons, winning on both occasions.

French champions Clermont Auvergne have returned to training, with Alexandre Audebert claiming the club had "turned the page" on their inaugural title after having missed out in their previous 10 final appearances.

The squad is currently at a pre-season training camp in Switzerland and Audebert said they had now set themselves the the twin targets of winning both Top 14 and the Heineken Cup. "We have the desire to do better than we did last season," Audebert told L'Equipe.

The 33-year-old said he was relishing the prospect of the club's opening league match away to Perpignan on August 13thm but played down the significance of it being a re-run of last year's final.

Finally, ERC - organisers of the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup - are due to announce the pool fixtures and dates for this year's competitions on Tuesday. Toulon and Racing-Métro 92 will both be making their Heineken Cup bows in this season's competition, while Stade Toulousain will be setting out to defend their record fourth title. Clermont Auvergne, Perpignan, Castres and last year's runners-up Biarritz complete the seven-strong French intake in the Heineken Cup.

Pre-Season friendlies:

July 23
Bayonne v Bourgoin (Stade Jean Dauger, 20.00)

July 24
Aurillac v Brive (Jean Alric, 19.30)
Toulon v Lyon OU (Stade Félix Mayol, 20.45)
SU Agen v RC Narbonne (Moissac, 19.00)

July 25
La Rochelle v Grenoble (Angouleme, 15.00)

July 29
Lyon OU v Stade Francais (Tignes, 18.30)

July 30
La Rochelle v Stade Toulousain (Mazamet, 19.30)
SU Agen v Brive (Sainte-Foy la Grande, 18.30)
Bourgoin v Clermont Auvergne (Nyon, 19.00)
Toulon v Racing-Métro 92 (Stade Félix Mayol, 20.40)
Pau v Castres (Hagetmau, 18.30)
Montpellier v Carcassonne (Pézenas, 18.30)
Perpignan v RC Narbonne (Aimé Giral, 19.45)
Aix-en-Provence v Nice (Aix, 20.00)

August 1
SCA Albi v Béziers (Millau, 18.00)
Rovigo v Colomiers (Millau, 20.00)

August 2
Mont-de-Marsan v Bordeaux (Soustons, 19.00)

August 3
Bourgoin v Sale Sharks

August 4
Bayonne v Saracens (Stade Jean Dauger, 18.00)
Montpellier v Aurillac (Lacaune, 18.30)

August 5
Toulon v Stade Francais (Stade Félix Mayol, 20.40)
Stade Toulousain v Bourgoin (Saint-Affrique, 20.00)
SCA Albi v Rovigo (Saint Affrique, 20.00)

August 6
Biarritz Olympic v La Rochelle (Aguiléra, 19.00)
Brive v Leicester Tigers (Stade Amédée Domenech, 20.00)
Grenoble v Bourgoin (Grenoble, 19.00)
Perpignan v Racing-Métro 92 (Aimé Giral, 19.45)
Lyon OU v Oyonnax (Issoire, 18.30)
Clermont Auvergne v Sale Sharks (Issoire, 20,00)
SU Agen v Leeds (Agen, 19.00)

August 7
Castres v Colomiers (Lavaur, 18.30)
Montpellier v Sale Sharks (Camares, 18.30)
FC Auch Gers v Pau (Mourenx, 17.00)
Aurillac v Provale Select XV (Kamares, 16.30)

August 11
Béziers v Carcassonne (Béziers, 18.00)

August 13
Pau v RC Narbonne (Castets, 18.00)
Oyonnax v Macon (Nantau, 18.00)
Lyon OU v Saint Etienne (Lyon, 18.00)
Aurillac v SCA Albi (Aurillac, 19.30)

August 20
Carcassonne v Mont-de-Marsan (Carcassonne, 18.30)
Grenoble v Oyonnax (Grenoble, 19.00)