If the qualification picture for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals is now significantly clearer following last weekend’s Round 5 games, the closing series of pool matches in Europe’s premier club rugby tournament retains its customary intrigue.
Please find attached a comprehensive preview of the 12 Heineken Cup games in Round 6 including tournament notes, rankings, tables and in-depth statistics
While reigning champions, Toulon, along with Ulster Rugby, Toulouse, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Munster Rugby and Leicester Tigers have booked their places in the last eight, only Toulon, Clermont and Munster are confirmed as pool winners.
So, with the top four ranked clubs at the end of the pool stage set for money-spinning home quarter-finals next April, the coming weekend will have its share of drama and tension.
At the moment, Ulster are top seeds with 22 points, followed by Toulon on 20, with Toulouse and Clermont on 19, but when all the numbers are crunched by next Sunday, that order could well have changed.
In addition to the two quarter-final places still on the line and the tussle for the top seedings, three spots in the Amlin Challenge Cup are up for grabs with the third, fourth and fifth best pool runners-up qualifying for a chance of prolonging their European season.
The clash of two former champions, Leicester and Ulster, on Saturday is arguably the match of the round. Confident in the knowledge that qualification is assured, the Welford Road stage could be set for a feast of attacking rugby as both clubs chase a top-four seeding.
Armed with a two-point cushion at the top of the pool, Ulster will fancy their chances of doing the double following their 22-16 Round 1 victory at Ravenhill, but they will also know that Leicester haven’t lost a home Heineken Cup pool match since 2006 when they were defeated 21-19 by Munster.
Meanwhile in Pool 2, Toulon will be looking to seal another home quarter-final when they travel to Glasgow Warriors, but with Amlin Challenge Cup qualification in their sights, the home side will be focused on taking a major scalp. Cardiff Blues and Exeter Chiefs go head-to-head also with hopes of an Amlin Challenge Cup spot.
Saracens will be chasing a quarter-final place when they host Connacht Rugby on Saturday, while Toulouse, who travel to Zebre, are favourites to top Pool 3. Clermont will look to extend their 70-game unbeaten record at Stade Marcel-Michelin when they meet Racing Metro 92 in Pool 4. A win for last season’s finalists could earn them a home quarter, while Scarlets and Harlequins will be jousting for Amlin Challenge Cup qualification.
In Pool 6, Munster will need to pull out all the stops against Edinburgh Rugby at Thomond Park to have a chance of booking a home quarter-final and their task will be made harder by the fact that the Scots are right in the mix for a place in the last eight of the Amlin.
The action will get underway on Friday with Leinster Rugby looking to see off Ospreys at the RDS and clinch Pool 1 honours. Northampton Saints, who host Castres Olympique, remain in contention for places in the knockout stages of both the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup.
