Play to the whistle  Photo: Michael Paler

French rugby is stepping into new territory at the weekend when all seven Top 14 games will be refereed by British and Italian officials. The innovative idea is the brainchild of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) as it attempts to best prepare French sides for their forthcoming Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup games.

The differing interpretation of rugby's laws has been a constant bug-bear for French sides in European competitions, so this weekend's experiment aims to give players and coaches an indication of what to expect.

Heineken Cup Pools & Fixtures

The initiative has been pushed forward by LNR president Pierre-Yves Revol, and also has the backing of the Direction Nationale de l'Arbitage (DTNA), the French referees association.

Ireland will provide three of the seven referees, with Peter Fitzgibbon and George Clancy taking charge of the two highest profile matches at the weekend as they oversee Stade Toulousain v Racing-Métro 92, and the Basque derby between Bayonne and Biarritz respectively.

"This is a project matured the past three seasons," said Revol. "We consulted all the stakeholders in Top 14. This had been discussed at the steering committee of the league in consultation with the Referees Committee," he told L'Equipe.

Revol also insisted this was a French initiative, rather than an IRB one. "There was already a commitment last year to achieve a consistency in arbitration, seeking European intervention in our championship by British referees.

"It is a very good thing for the European Cup where we know arbitration is much more picky. his was necessary in the interests of harmonization," Revol said.

Joel Jutge, head of the DTNA, welcomed the experiment. "Since the beginning of the Top 14 season we've made a very strict interpretation of the new rules. It was not negotiable for players or referees. We have applied the IRB guidelines to the letter. The French teams have worked well but it was decided to drive the nail to change habits," he said.

One of the new rule changes concerns the scrum and the elongated ref's commands now in force, something that has proven something of a problem in Top 14 so far this season. Far more scrums are now being re-set, but French ref Christophe Berdos said British teams were also encountering the same problems.

"The British are right not to let anything pass," said Berdos. They are much stricter on the rule and as professionals we must respect the rule to the letter.

Friday October 1st
Toulon v Castres	Stade Félix Mayol	20.45	Andrew Small (England)
Saturday October 2nd
Perpignan v La Rochelle	Stade Aimé Giral	14.30	Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Clermont Auvergne v SU Agen	Stade Marcel Michelin	14.30	James Jones (Wales)
Stade Francais v Montpellier	Stade Charléty	14.30	Peter Allan (Scotland)
Bourgoin v Brive	Stade Pierre Rajon	14.30	John Lacey (Ireland)
Stade Toulousain v Racing-Métro 92	Stade Municipal	16.25	Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Bayonne v Biarritz	Stade Jean Dauger	20.45	George Clancy (Ireland)

On the European theme, surprise Top 14 leaders Montpellier have confirmed where their priorities lie this season by excluding French internationals Francois Trinh-Duc and Fulgence Ouedraogo from their 38-man squad for the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Toulon, meanwhile, have confirmed that they will forsake their traditional red and black colours when they make their Heineken Cup debut. Instead the team will play in blue and white, with a strip inspired by the comic world that has helped make the fortune of indulgent president Mourad Boudjellal.

The multi-millionaire owner is relishing the prospect of Toulon playing in Europe's premier competition, especially after losing last season's ACC final against Cardiff Blues.

"It is great because it is the first time we have played in it and it is also important to me that the world comes to see the Stade Mayol," he told ESPN's scrum.com. "In France it is legendary, but not in Europe and achieving that is very important to us."

Head coach Philippe Saint-André knows his team face a huge battle to qualify after being drawn in a pool alongside Munster, Ospreys and London Irish, so he knows that winning all of their home games will be imperative.

Boudjellal, meanwhile, said the club's priorities would remain targeted on achieving domestic success first.

"If I have a choice then it is is the Top 14," he said. "But if we were to win the H-Cup then that will not be a problem. The aim is always to win and that is my dream - to win everything, to have the Top 14 and perhaps one day the H-Cup. But for me the Top 14 is the most important."