Rugby: Kiwis to be involved in European playoffs

Joe Rokocoko has been amongst the tries for his Bayonne side in France. Photo / Getty Images

The French Top 14 playoffs get underway this weekend, and a clutch of New Zealanders are in the thick of the post-season action.

In last weekend's final regular season round, log leaders and defending champions Toulon eased past Oyonnax 46-17, with No 8 Chris Masoe scoring a try. Oyonnax have taken the sixth and last playoffs berth, and included prop Soane Tonga'uiha, lock Leon Power and second five Roimata Hansell-Pune in their starting XV.

Mike Delany, Fritz Lee and Benson Stanley helped Clermont to a 29-17 win over Tom Donnelly's Montpellier, which gives the Arvernian club a week off.

Two late goals from Lachie Munro, one of them a pot, saw Lyon beat Grenoble 29-24, but it was not enough to stave off relegation for the flagship side in France's gastronomic capital. Loose forward Rory Grice scored a try for Grenoble.

Bayonne, with centre Joe Rokocoko among the tryscorers, defeated La Rochelle 45-12, while Sitiveni Sivivatu's Castres were on the end of a 53-10 hiding by Racing-Metro.

Andrew Mailei's Brive shut out Stade Francais 27-0.

Toulouse will host Oyonnax and Stade Francais and Racing-Metro lock horns in a Parisian derby in the two playoff games this weekend.

Bordeaux-Begles came agonisingly close to top six qualification, falling 23-22 to Toulouse. Hugh Chalmers and Peter Saili do have one more game, a European Champions Cup qualifier this weekend against John Afoa's Gloucester, who beat Connacht 40-32 in a playoff.

There will definitely be no Kiwis in the Guinness PRO 12 final after semifinal action which saw Munster beat Ospreys 21-18 and Ulster - who fielded centre Jared Payne and former Patumahoe and Counties Manukau loose forward Sean Reidy - go down 16-14 to Glasgow.

As previously reported, 40-year-old Brad Thorn's two decade top level footy career drew to a close when Leicester Tigers were hammered 47-10 by Bath in the Aviva Premiership semifinals, while Saracens upset the Northampton Saints 29-24, for whom Ahsee Tuala, the Pisi brothers and Kahn Fotuali'i appeared.