Béziers opt for the heavy-handed approach to tackle Leicester

The good news for Leicester is that Béziers, the most limited of the French contenders in this season's Heineken Cup but up there with the best of them when it comes to the dark arts, have seen fit to leave Gonzalo Quesada, one of the world's great goal-kickers, on the bench for tomorrow's rumble in the Languedoc. The bad news is that they have picked a multi-national front row weighing in at more than a third of a ton. Tariel Ratianidze, Sébastien Bruno and Gonzales Bonnorino may not be the most celebrated of cauliflower-faced trios, but they do not want for size.

Leicester, the European champions and the only side ever to retain the title, know what it is to chisel out important victories on the far side of the Channel: they won in Perpignan last season, and in Pau the season before. The days when they travelled without the courage of their convictions and returned home on the wrong end of 30 points have been consigned to the dustbin of history.

But they will be just a little itchy about this one, not because Béziers are particularly brilliant – Pierre Mignoni's side have lost six of their nine domestic championship matches to date – but because they are approaching a must-win match off the back of consecutive 20-point Premiership thumpings from London Irish and Northampton. Defeat at Stade de la Méditerranée would seriously threaten the Midlanders' chances of reaching the knock-out stage; indeed, Béziers could ship 50 points at Welford Road in the return fixture and still top the group.

Ben Kay, the England lock, is struggling with a hip injury and may miss out, along with the crack flankers Lewis Moody and Neil Back, who are definite non-starters. But Dorian West and Darren Garforth, two hardened shop stewards of the front row union, are expected to shake off fitness problems in time to confront the Georgian, the Argentinian and the French international who spearhead the Béziers scrummage. The match will be won and lost in the shadows of the set-piece, as is generally the case in these parts. It will not be pretty.

Three Welsh teams, none of whom will feature in their present form in next season's competition if the Principality goes provincial, will be supping in the Last Chance Saloon this afternoon.

Swansea, who have been in a shocking state all year, face a resurgent Bristol at St Helen's, and while the All Whites expect to pair Scott Gibbs and Mark Taylor in midfield, they may well find the West Countrymen too rugged up front. Bristol have left Phil Christophers, their England wing, and Ross Beattie, the club captain, among the replacements – a sign of confidence if ever there was one.

Newport are every bit as shambolic as Swansea, which must be a source of acute heartache to their ever-generous benefactor, Tony Brown. Percy Montgomery, the big-name signing from South Africa, is ineligible for the pool stage of the tournament – the only stage in which the Rodney Paraders are likely to feature this term – and there is no evidence to suggest they will find a means of unpicking the well-rehearsed game plan they anticipate from London Irish, who will be right in the Pool 5 mix if, as expected, they take the points.

Cardiff, however, are in much better shape as they head for Northampton, who have left their Lions prop, Tom Smith, on the bench for missing a player's meeting. Rob Appleyard and Adam Jones join the Arms Park pack that pulled together so effectively in last week's Celtic League quarter-final victory over Edinburgh.