Sale Sharks 13 Toulouse 19

The Heineken Cup game between Sale Sharks and Toulouse at Edgeley Park, Stockport, on Sunday Jan 24.

Sale's European campaign was ended as their Heineken Cup defeat at Edgeley Park saw them miss out on an Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final place.

Toulouse's victory gives the French side a home quarter-final in the Heineken Cup and they were good value for the win despite having to hold off a late Sharks fightback.

The scores were tied at 6-6 at the break as fly-half Charlie Hodgson knocked over two penalties for the hosts, with opposite number Jean-Baptiste Elissalde kicking two drop goals for the visitors.

But hooker Virgile Lacombe went over for Guy Noves' side with Elissalde adding the conversion and two penalties, while Mathew Tait scored a converted try for Sale.

Sale were without injured Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel so Richard Wigglesworth was handed the number nine jersey. Hooker Mahonri Schwalger, lock Chris Jones and flanker Luke Abraham were part of a reshuffled pack.

The visitors, who had already sealed top spot in Pool Five, picked a strong side as they looked to secure that home draw in the last eight.

Frederic Michalak came in for Byron Kelleher at scrum-half while Louis Picamoles and Gregory Lamboley replaced Shaun Sowerby and Jean Bouilhou in the back row.

The home side made a blistering start as number eight Sisa Koyamaibole made a slashing break that was only stopped by a despairing Vincent Clerc tackle.

Jones then stole the first Toulouse line-out forcing the French side to give away a penalty that Hodgson converted from in front of the posts.

Michalak wasted Toulouse's opening attacking foray with a mis-hit drop goal attempt before Sale's excellent start was dented by a moment of madness from Koyamaibole.

The Fijian needlessly flattened Michalak off the ball in front of referee Alain Rolland, who had no hesitation in sending the back-rower to the sin bin after just 10 minutes of play.

The visitors profited from the resulting penalty and field position as fly-half Elissalde knocked over a sweetly-struck drop goal to tie the scores.

But Sale coped admirably during Koyamaibole's absence and Hodgson re-established their lead with his second penalty in the 19th minute.

Elissalde then attempted a woeful drop at goal but the French side were gaining a stranglehold on territory and possession, with captain Thierry Dusautoir to the fore, and it took some desperate defence from the Sharks to prevent a score after centre Yann David had slipped a tackle and fed wing Clerc close to the line.

The hosts found themselves unable to lift the siege and their discipline began to suffer under sustained pressure.

Referee Rolland eventually lost patience and lock Jones became the second Shark to receive a yellow card after he offended at a ruck.

Toulouse chose to kick the penalty to touch but Elissalde ensured they left the Sale 22 with points as he knocked over his second drop goal just seconds before half-time.

The second half began with Toulouse on the attack and this time the pressure told as some poor Sale defence at a driving lineout allowed hooker Lacombe to break free and dive over, Elissalde adding the conversion for a 13-6 lead.

The visitors almost crossed again seconds later as full-back Clement Poitrenaud sparked a marvellous counter attack that ended with Clerc being bundled into touch just short of the Sale line.

But Clerc was soon off the field after he checked Wigglesworth as the England international chased his own kick-ahead, the France wing heading to the sin bin as Jones returned to the fray for the hosts.

The hosts looked ill-equipped to chase the game and an ill-advised attempt to attack from the shadow of their own posts ended in them conceding a penalty which Elissalde easily slotted over in the 53rd minute.

But after battering away at the Toulouse defence Sale finally found a way through thanks to a fine individual score from centre Tait.

The England three-quarter made a superb outside break as he spotted forwards in front of him in the defensive line, and showed good strength to step inside the cover defence and reach over. Hodgson added the extras to close the deficit to three points and set up a frenetic finale.

Elissalde kicked his second penalty to stretch the visitors' lead.

Sale had one last chance to snatch victory, but they lost an attacking lineout five metres out and the opportunity was gone.

Harlequins 20 Cardiff Blues 45

The Heineken Cup game between Harlequins and Cardiff Blues at The Stoop, London, on Sunday Jan 24.

Cardiff prolonged their European involvement by securing a place in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup in an entertaining but one-sided contest at the Twickenham Stoop.

A change to the regulations to create places for three of the Heineken Cup pool runners-up in the second-tier competition ensured this was not the meaningless contest it would otherwise have been.

Cardiff reckoned that they needed a bonus point win to overtake Sale and they had the bonus point safely wrapped up by the end of a frenetic first half in which they produced some vivid passages of play.

In the end Sale’s defeat by Toulouse meant that the win alone was enough to secure Cardiff’ an away quarter-final at Newcastle.

“We are disappointed we haven’t gone through in the Heineken Cup main tournament,” said Cardiff head coach David Young.

“We didn’t score enough tries at home or get enough bonus points at home but we are pleased to go through in the Amlin.

“It’s a quality tournament in itself, there are quality teams in there and we will give it a real crack.”

For the first time Harlequins lost all of their Heineken Cup group matches and John Kingston, their head coach, gave a typically blunt assessment of a poor campaign.

“The reason we have got two points and are bottom of that table is that we have not been good enough against the other three teams in the pool,” he said.

Harlequins contributed fully to the try fest, partly through their willingness to run the ball which gave them an early lead when George Lowe scooted over in the corner.

But a succession of first-up tackles were missed which allowed Ceri Sweeney to run the game for Cardiff and for former All Black Casey Laulala to wreak havoc in midfield.

“For whatever reason we decided not to defend, we lost the collisions, we allowed them go forward ball and we discovered that against decent sides if you don’t want to front-up and defend properly you are going to find it very hard work,” said Kingston.

An afternoon of unremitting toil followed for Harlequins once Ben Blair had given Cardiff the lead.

Harlequins trailed by only eight points at the break but the margin flattered them and two well-taken second half tries from Jamie Roberts rammed home Cardiff’s supremacy.

Newport Gwent Dragons 23 Gloucester 32

The Heineken Cup game between Newport Gwent Dragons and Gloucester at Rodney Parade, Newport, on Sunday Jan 24.

Should Gloucester go on to earn themselves a European gong this season, they will remember well their 40 minutes at Newport in late January.

Trailing 16-10 to the Dragons in this pulsating Heineken Cup contest at Rodney Parade, the Cherry and Whites revived their season with a victory that earned Bryan Redpath's side a place in the quarter-final of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Admittedly, a slot in the knockout stage of European rugby's second tier is not what they might have hoped for at the outset. However, considering they were all but down and out in this competition two weeks ago, they should be grateful for small mercies.

Furthermore, with the challenge cup providing the winners with a place in next season's Heineken Cup, Gloucester's season is far from over.

Redpath said: "It's great news that we are in a European quarter-final and obviously I am delighted with that. I was pretty frustrated with our first-half performance because we lacked energy and forgot what we had spoken about in midweek.

"Thankfully, we were a lot more dynamic in the second half and that was pleasing. To get into the last eight of any competition is a real boost at this stage of the season."

For much of the first half, the visitors looked anything but a side capable of prolonging their European journey. They were strangely pedestrian and failed to break down a Dragons' side for whom any hopes of European success this season had disappeared long before Christmas.

Two penalties and a drop goal from James Arlidge, and a converted try from centre Rhodri Gomer-Davies while Gloucester were down to 14 men courtesy of a yellow card for Dave Attwood, gifted the hosts an interval lead.

Unfortunately, it was very much the storm before the calm and after Akapusi Qera had crossed for the first of his three tries, Gloucester took total control.

Clearly smarting from an interval lecture from Redpath, they seized on a catalogue of errors by the Dragons and with Olivier Azam entering the fray on the hour, they helped themselves to the all important bonus point.

Qera crossed for his second of the day from a driving line out deep inside the Dragons 22 and the Fijian openside completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute as Gloucester capitalised on a Dragons' midfield that was by now chasing shadows.

Nicky Robinson's penalty, shortly after the Dragons had lost replacement Ben Castle to the sin-bin, made the game safe and though Ashley Smith celebrated his return from long-term injury with a try in stoppage time, by then, Gloucester were celebrating a victory that might, come the end of the season, be their most important of the season.

Biarritz 41 Glasgow 20

The Heineken Cup game between Biarritz and Glasgow at Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz, on Sunday Jan 24.

Biarritz clinched a home tie in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals following a second-half demolition of Glasgow Warriors.

The Scottish outfit led 20-11 early in the second half following scintillating tries from Thom Evans and Chris Cusiter.

But Biarritz rallied with 30 unanswered points, clinching the crucial bonus point 50 seconds from the final whistle to guarantee home advantage in the last eight.

Eduard Coetzee and Takudzwa Ngwenya crossed before Ilikena Bolakoro followed a penalty try to wrap up maximum points and inflict a fourth defeat on Glasgow.

Biarritz had already reserved their place in the quarter-finals after winning four of their previous pool games, however they were without key playmakers Dimitri Yachvili and Damien Traille through injury while fly-half Julien Peyrelongue was rested.

It was Peyrelongue's replacement, Valentin Courrent, who stepped up to open the scoring in the fourth minute with a penalty but Glasgow who managed to handle the muddy conditions well early on.

Flanker John Barclay hammered a hole through the heart of the Biarritz defence but it was the vision of Chris Cusiter that created the first try.

The Scotland scrum-half found Evans out wide in open space with an intelligent kick and the flying wing easily went past prop Mosese Moala before scooping up possession and diving over despite Bolakoro's lunge.

Parks expertly guided his conversion through the posts from close to the touchline for a surprise 7-3 lead.

That advantage soon grew as Glasgow dominated the close-quarter exchanges. Second-row forward Richie Gray's charge led to a second Parks penalty, and a neat interchange of passes between Max Evans, John Beattie and Cusiter ended in a third as the visitors stunned the partisan home crowd by leading 13-3.

That sparked a change in tempo and tactics from Biarritz which reduced the deficit to 13-11 by half-time. Courrent kicked a 28th-minute penalty but was off target five minutes later, and he missed again after prop Coetzee was shoved over the line by the rest of the Biarritz pack three minutes before the break.

The second half got off to a tremendous start for Glasgow, despite Parks missing for the first time, with a contender for try of the season in the Heineken Cup so far.

Full-back Bernardo Stortoni launched an audacious attack with a quickly taken penalty just 10 metres from the Glasgow try-line, and it ended with Cusiter sliding between the Biarritz posts.

Stortoni burst from defence and exchanged passes with Max Evans before handing Cusiter a 25-metre dash to score.

Parks' conversion moved Glasgow 20-11 ahead after 48 minutes but that was to be the last time they had any grip on the tie.

Biarritz turned their fortunes around in the scrum, with replacement Kiwi prop Campbell Johnstone having an impact, and with more firepower following off the bench that dominance up front led to 30 unanswered points.

Courrent drew Biarritz level with three successive penalties before wing Ngwenya made light work of Hefin O'Hare's flapping attempt at a tackle to race clear for a try that put the hosts ahead for the first time since the 10th minute.

The home side's advantage in the scrum forced referee Dave Pearson to award a penalty try after 69 minutes, but it took until the last minute of the game before they clinched the vital bonus point when Bolakoro raced on to Imanol Harinordoquy's break to score.

Leicester Tigers protest after Ospreys field 16 players during Heineken Cup clash

Leicester have lodged an official protest with tournament chiefs after their Heineken Cup exit was overshadowed by a 16th player blunder at the Liberty Stadium.

Tigers' 17-12 Pool Three defeat against the Ospreys meant they crashed out of Europe behind group winners Clermont Auvergne and the Welsh side, who both progress into this season's quarter-finals.

But the Ospreys briefly had 16 players on the pitch when their Wales and Lions full-back Lee Byrne went back on after initially going off nursing a bloodied foot.

Chaos ensued on the touchline while referee Alan Lewis rectified the situation, but not before the Ospreys had played for about a minute with 16 players.

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler and chairman Peter Tom confirmed a complaint had been made to European Rugby Cup, although it is understood tournament rules mean the result of the match cannot be affected.

England were fined a five-figure sum during the 2003 World Cup when Dan Luger briefly appeared as a 16th player during their group victory over Samoa in Melbourne.

And that would be the likely punishment for the Ospreys - as opposed to any points deduction - if ERC rule against them.

During Byrne's second-half appearance as a 16th player he was involved in helping to thwart a menacing Leicester attack sparked by their scrum-half Ben Youngs.

Both Leicester coach Richard Cockerill and his Ospreys counterpart Scott Johnson moved to play down the incident.

But Wheeler said: "During a significant part of the game, the Ospreys had 16 players on the pitch, and he was involved in a break by Ben Youngs being stopped from developing.

"We think the interference of the 16th man was significant - you are only entitled to have 15 players on the pitch.

"We think it affected the outcome of the game. The players put their heart and soul into it out there, and they deserve to be treated fairly."

Referee Lewis could be seen berating an Ospreys touchline official when the matter was brought to his attention.

Tom added: "A serious error has been made. We are 12 years or so into the professional game, and it is time administrative procedures were sorted out.

"There has been a significant mistake that could be said to have had an impact on the game.

"People who administer the game have to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Cockerill preferred to concentrate on the rugby after seeing his team bow out after being undone by a Tommy Bowe try and 12 points from the boot of Ospreys fly-half Dan Biggar.

"I am sure they (Ospreys) didn't do it purposely," he said, reflecting on the 16th player episode.

"I don't think it had a bearing on the result.

"We were beaten fair and square. I am a lover of the game, and I am sure it was a mistake by somebody.

"We are out of the tournament. We have to go back, dust ourselves off and cope with the adversity of losing.

"It was a good contest, but someone has got to lose, and it was us today. Sometimes you get the luck, sometimes you don't.

"Ospreys are a good side with quality throughout. They've got the personnel to win the tournament, but there are some good teams left and Clermont would probably be my favourites."

While Leicester bow out, the Ospreys seemingly march on, although they could clearly do without any ERC investigation that will follow Leicester's complaint.

Johnson said: "This is one for the officials. They can work it out.

"There was a call for Lee Byrne to come on and 'X' to come off - that was the instruction.

"Byrne came off as a blood bin, and maybe that's where the confusion was. You just give instructions as a coach."

As for the victory, Johnson added: "We are glad to get out of this group. There is a great history in sport of sides being successful who come out of tough pools.

"The defence in the last 15 minutes was as tough as anything you would get in international rugby.

"The last two weeks (Ospreys have played Leicester and Clermont) have been of Test match intensity."

Bath 10 Ulster 28

The Heineken Cup game between Bath and Ulster at The Recreation Ground, Bath, on Saturday Jan 23 2010.

Danny Grewcock's sending off at The Rec o Saturday afternoon hammered another conclusive nail into Bath's dreadful season.

Although the Guinness Premiership side showed a little greater ambition in the second half of this, their final Heineken Cup game of the season, Grewcock's gratuitous act of indiscipline capped yet another day of misery for coach Steve Meehan.

The former England lock reacted angrily to Stephen Ferris holding on to his foot seven minutes from the interval and duly drove his boot – onto the flailing arm of the Irish flanker.

Ironically, it was Ferris who was at the centre of the gouging row in December when Stade Francais pair Julien Dupuy and David Attoub were banned for 23 and 70 weeks respectively.

Referee Jerome Garces had little choice but to give Grewcock his marching orders – television replays proving it was an unnecessary act of total indiscipline.

As for the game, well, it was another defeat for Bath and a victory for Ulster that almost earned them a backdoor entry into the last eight of this year's competition.

However, in the end, a losing bonus point for Stade Francais in Edinburgh meant their brave effort counted for nothing in terms of their Heineken Cup season.

Now, they must wait until later today to see if they have picked up one of the three places in the quarter final of the Amlin Challenge Cup. It would be a deserved consolation for a side who have once again punched above their weight this season.

For Bath, well, it was another calamitous afternoon that should heap even greater pressure on Meehan and his coaching team. With the exception of one or two rare moments of satisfaction this season, it has been a shocking campaign and one that could get even worse.

The impending return of Butch James and Olly Barkley cannot come quick enough.

Three Nial O'Connor penalties to a try from Matt Banahan put Ulster in front before the interval and with a numerical advantage, they took control in the second half thanks to a virtuoso try from wing Andrew Trimble.

The Ireland win avoided four paper thin tackles on half way and then duly outstripped Joe Maddock for a try of real quality. O'Connor sliced his conversion from the touchline, but four minutes later, it was Ulster celebrating again.

Simon Danielli fielded turnover ball inside his own 22 and after chipping and chasing 60 metres upfield, the Scotland international drew Maddock into the tackle and gave a scoring pass to the grateful centre Darren Cave.

Little responded with a penalty for Bath 25 minutes from time but such was the desire of a now rampant Ulster side, that it came as no surprise when the visitors extended their lead two minutes from time courtesy of Paddy Wallace.

O'Connor converted to take them within touching distance but needing a miracle at Murrayfield and a fourth try for themselves, they finally ran out of time and must now wait to see if their European season will carry on in the second tier.

Match details

Scoring sequence: 0-3 O'Connor pen; 0-6 O'Connor; 5-6 Banahan try, 7-6 Little con; 7-9 O'Connor pen; 7-14 Trimble try; 7-19 Cave try, 7-21 O'Connor con; 10-21 Little pen; 10-26 Wallace try, 10-28 O'Connor con

Bath Rugby: J Maddock (J Cuthbert 74), M Stephenson, M Carraro, S Hape, M Banahan, N Little (R Davis 75), M Claassens (Capt S Bemand 75)), D Flaxman (D Barnes 61), L Mears (P Dixon 61), D Wilson (A Jarvis 74), D Grewcock, S Hooper, A Beattie (P Short 47), J Salvi, L Watson (J Fa'amatuainu 69)
Ulster Rugby: J Smith, A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, S Danielli, N O'Connor, I Boss (C Willis 74), T Court (B Young 74), N Brady (A Kyriacou 63), B Botha, D Tuohy, E O'Donoghue (R Caldwell 66), S Ferris (T Anderson 74), D Pollock, C Henry (Capt)
Referee: J Garces (France)
Attendance: 10,845

Ospreys 17 Leicester Tigers 12

The Heineken Cup game between Ospreys and Leicester Tigers at Liberty Stadium, Swansea, on Saturday Jan 23.

Leicester crashed out of the Heineken Cup - and ensured an all-time low for English teams in European club rugby's blue riband competition.

Only one Guinness Premiership side - Northampton or London Irish - will contest this season's quarter-finals.

That represents the worst performance by English clubs in the 14 seasons they have challenged for Heineken silverware.

Wing Tommy Bowe's first-half try helped send the Ospreys through as one of two best runners-up, but Leicester missed out in Pool Three as current French Championship leaders Clermont Auvergne took top spot.

Dan Biggar sealed the Ospreys' victory with three penalties and a drop-goal, leaving Leicester high and dry despite a Jeremy Staunton drop-goal and three Toby Flood penalties.

The Ospreys, who now face a possible quarter-final away to Irish giants Munster or Leinster, were not to be denied, despite an injury concern over their Wales and Lions star Lee Byrne.

Byrne limped off 12 minutes from time, and although he returned to the action shortly afterwards, it was enough to trouble Wales coach Warren Gatland just two weeks before the RBS 6 Nations opener against England at Twickenham.

It also concerned Leicester, as the Ospreys briefly appeared to have 16 players on the pitch before Byrne went back off and then reappeared again, this time instead of Biggar.

The Ospreys held on during a frenzied finale that saw Leicester throw everything at their opponents in a desperate attempt to stay alive in Europe.

But the Welsh side survived, breathing a huge collective sigh of relief when Tigers substitute Aaron Mauger knocked on just five metres from the Ospreys line.

Leicester arrived in Swansea seeking to avoid a pool stage exit for the second time in three seasons, but they were without injured England flanker Tom Croft, who was replaced by Craig Newby.

The Ospreys paraded an all-international team, including first starts of 2010 for fit-again Wales backs Shane Williams and James Hook.

Leicester had to absorb considerable pressure before and after a ninth-minute penalty success for Flood as the Ospreys looked to attack in wide channels.

But the game soon settled into an anticipated heavyweight tussle between two powerful packs intent on establishing set-piece supremacy.

Ospreys prop Paul James was on the receiving end of referee Alan Lewis' whistle at two early scrums, yet the Ospreys composed themselves for Biggar to slot a drop-goal and penalty.

Flood's second penalty had edged Leicester ahead for a second time, and although a Staunton drop-goal then made it 9-6, an equalising Biggar penalty meant there was nothing between the sides approaching half-time.

The Ospreys though, were far more adventurous, and their invigorating approach reaped its reward in thrilling fashion.

Flanker Jerry Collins set the tone with a rampaging burst through the heart of Leicester's midfield, and despite lock Alun-Wyn Jones being unable to take the move on, Tigers were soon unlocked.

The Ospreys moved possession wide and at pace, and a deft left-footed kick by Hook was finished off in trademark predatory style by Ireland and Lions wing Bowe.

It meant Bowe had touched down in all six of the Ospreys' Heineken group games this season, and despite Biggar missing a touchline conversion attempt, Ospreys enjoyed a glimmer of control.

Leicester were rattled by the try, underlined when Flood botched a penalty chance with the final kick of a fast and furious half.

The Ospreys looked to extend their advantage early in the second period, but Biggar was guilty of missing penalty and drop-goal chances as Leicester found themselves pinned inside their own 22.

Flood then showed him how it should be done, finding his range from almost 45 metres to put Leicester just two points behind and remind the Ospreys they were far from finished.

Biggar cancelled out Flood's strike, making it 17-12, as Leicester boss Richard Cockerill sought powerful bench reinforcements with the introduction of prop Martin Castrogiovanni and wing Alesana Tuilagi.

Time was starting to tick away for the Tigers, Heineken Cup winners in 2001 and 2002, and they desperately needed inspiration to somehow thwart a ferociously-committed Ospreys outfit.

But when the Ospreys pack then destroyed Leicester's scrum, sending them retreating at a rate of knots, there appeared no way back.

Leicester, when they had possession, looked to free the destructive Tuilagi, and a punishing contest began to resemble a case of last-man standing entering the final five minutes.

It was the Ospreys who held their nerve though, celebrating arguably their greatest victory.

Edinburgh 9 Stade Français 7

The Heineken Cup game between Edinburgh and Stade Français at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, on Saturday Jan 23.

Stade Français, by far the most daring dressers in European rugby, clearly like to live dangerously as well. Among all the permutations, it was entirely impossible that they could be knocked out of the Heineken Cup at Murrayfield on Saturday, but they crept into the quarter-finals with a bonus point defeat in which they rarely broke sweat from start to finish.

Goodness knows, Edinburgh tried to make things hard for them, but while the Scots piled on the pressure, particularly after the break, they lacked the sharpness near the line to keep the scoreboard ticking over. There was an excellent individual performance from scrum-half Greig Laidlaw, but the rest of what the did was depressingly drab.

Trailing 6-7 at half-time, Edinburgh might still have been in the game, but there was a gathering impression that they had already taken their leave of Europe.

A consolation slot in the Amlin Challenge Cup had been the limit of their ambition at the start, but that required a bonus-point win, and they looked incapable of scoring one try let alone four.

Chris Paterson, who had kicked two first-half penalties for Edinburgh, virtually confirmed that hope had run out for his side, when he added a third just after the break.

Around that time, Stade began emptying their bench, an after-you-Claude routine that suggested their own interest in the contest had its limits, but they did at lest give a cameo appearance to Simon Taylor, the reclusive Scotland loose forward who is unlikely to make a return visit to Murrayfield this season.

Hugo Southwell, another former Edinburgh player in the Stade ranks, made a more conspicuous contribution, scuttling about at scrum-half, the position in which the regular full-back has been utilised over the past two weekends. As befits a player doing emergency service, Southwell delivered a few hospital passes, but it was still a decent overall shift he put in.

Edinburgh did enjoy one extended period of pressure midway through the second period, setting ruck after ruck on the Stade line. However, they could not lever a player over the whitewash, and they actually looked far more dangerous when they attacked from broken play.

Centre Ben Cairns, left out of the Scotland Six Nations squad last week, made one glorious chance for himself with a brilliantly well-read interception, but he then squandered the opportunity by dropping the ball as he tried to raise his stride.

Stade had taken their solitary try with unruffled efficiency, lock Pascal Pape rumbling over from close range in the 27th minute. Their shirts apart, they had no interest in pyrotechnics, but they looked suitably satisfied at the end.

Their dreams of that May final in Paris and the trophy they covet more than any other are still very much alive.

Match details

Edinburgh: C Paterson (Capt; S Webster, 52); M Robertson, B Cairns, N De Luca, J Thompson; P Godman, G Laidlaw; K Traynor (A Jacobsen, 64), A Kelly (R Ford, 52), G Cross, J Hamilton, S MacLeod (C Hamilton, 64), A MacDonald, R Rennie (S Newlands, 33), R Grant.
Subs: R Ford, A Jacobsen, D Young, C Hamilton, S Newlands, R Samson, J Houston, S Webster P: Paterson (3)
Stade Français: L Beauxis; M Gasnier, G Messina, G Bousses (M Bastareaud, 47), D Camara; I Mieres, H Southwell; R Roncero (Capt), D Szarzewski (B Kayser, 50), R Gerber (P Ledesma, 58), T Palmer, P Pape, J Haskell, M Bergamasco (S Taylor, 52), J Leguizamon. T: Pape C: Beauxis

Viadana 20 Clermont Auvergne 59

The Heineken Cup game between Viadana and Clermont Auvergne at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana, on Saturday Jan 23.

Clermont Auvergne booked their place in the last 16 of the Heineken Cup with an emphatic 59-20 win over hapless Viadana in Italy.

The French side, who registered a convincing 27-6 win against Ospreys last week, knew that only a bonus point win would see them through to the last 16 and were 7-0 ahead within two minutes thanks to a converted Morgan Parra try.

The away side then ran riot through the feeble Italian defence and had picked up the four tries required for a bonus point by half-time, with Napoleoni Nalaga and Aurelien Rougerie (twice) touching down.

Vern Cotter's team then moved into a commanding 52-6 lead thanks to tries from Julien Malzieu, Elvis Vermeulen, Nalaga and a penalty try, while Brock James continued his fine form with the boot by kicking six straight conversions.

Julio Garcia's converted try gave the home side some hope but Clermont soon hit back to open up a 59-18 lead thanks to a try from full-back Anthony Floch.

Viadana grabbed another a try through replacement Gareth Krause but it was not enough to stop Cotter's side moving to the top of Pool Three at the expense of Ospreys.

Munster 12 Northampton Saints 9

The Heineken Cup game between Munster and Northampton Saints at Thomond Park, Limerick on Friday Jan 22.

It was neither glorious nor spectacular but crucially for Munster it was enough. They head to the familiar pastures of the quarter-final for the 12th year in a row, surviving a second-half yellow card for their captain, Paul O’Connell, and quelling the resistance of a gutsy, if misfiring, Northampton side. Munster have a home quarter-final to savour.

The Saints, however, did earn a precious bonus point. They await Saturday evening’s result from London Irish with baited breath. The try-count (16 tries) is on their side, but only just. Given that Northampton kicked the ball into touch with the last play showed they were grateful for small mercies.

In truth, they will have tossed and turned through the night, rueing the chance missed when O’Connell was sent to the sin-bin for playing the ball with his hand in a ruck around the hour mark.

The Saints had position, they had Munster under the cosh, their scrum was bucking and creaking, forced to pack down with wing, Doug Howlett hanging on for dear life, and still Northampton could not make it count.

Munster dug deep into their elemental selves, somehow hooking the ball against the head at the fifth re-set scrum and the roars could be heard far out into the Atlantic. It was myth-making stuff. They’ll be writing plays about that scrum in years to come.

Without doubt it was the game’s turning point. On such small margins. Northampton had a sniff of glory but they wilted as a momentous moment beckoned. The killer touch, the decisive blow, the knockout punch – champions deliver. Northampton are not yet at that stage. Conversely, Munster defied the momentum of the moment to escape. They’ve done it so often, and yet still we wonder how. It’s not luck. It’s fortitude and togetherness, a triumph of character and self-belief over logic.

There was sweat and toil to admire from the Saints but crucially, though, there was not the necessary class or composure under duress.

Shane Geraghty was rushed and erratic at key moments, unable to impose himself on proceedings. As a result, there were precious few openings for the free spirits at the rear, the counter-attacking duo of full-back, Ben Foden and Chris Ashton.

“Some of our decision-making wasn’t very good but the sin-binning was a missed opportunity,“ said Northampton head coach, Jim Mallinder, who reported that lock, Christian Day, had been taken to hospital after temporary loss of feeling following a collision. “I think we’ve grown up. We’ve shown we can compete and on another day we would have won that game.“

Munster were grateful to get through. “Northampton were the real deal and can still be a force in the competition,“ said Munster head coach, Tony McGahan.

Munster could rely on traditional virtues: steepling kicks and blood-curdling follow-ups to set the tone. It was brutal and unyielding, with Munster flanker, Alan Quinlan to the fore. But Northampton stood their ground. Both sides were edgy, both intent on sounding out the other. The ball rained down time and again from the skies. Territory was prized real estate.

If there is a Munster fault-line, it’s in their scrummage. Northampton had an edge, winning penalties, the second of which drew blood when Bruce Reihana landed the goal from 45 metres to tie the scores. The first half yielded precious few openings, O’Gara nudging his side in front, 6-3, with a penalty goal a minute from the interval.

Northampton missed a couple early in the second half before Geraghty brought his side level. It wasn’t long before O’Gara tilted the balance back again.

Then came Northampton’s flirtation with destiny as O’Connell trudged to the sidelines. They flunked it.

Stephen Myler got three points back for Northampton but inevitably it was O’Gara who closed out the deal, his fourth penalty once again taking Munster to the promised land.

Match details

Munster: P Warwick; D Howlett, K Earls, J de Villiers, D Hurley; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; W de Preez, D Fogarty, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt), A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Wallace.
Subs: D Ryan for O'Callaghan (55), D Varley for Fogarty (55), M Horan for de Preez (67), T Buckley for Hayes (70)
Pens: O'Gara (4)
Yellow card: O'Connell (60)
Northampton Saints: B Foden; C Ashton, J Clarke, J Downey, B Reihana; S Geraghty, L Dickson; S Tongauiha, D Hartley [capt], E Murray, I Fernandez Lobbe, J Kruger, C Lawes, P Dowson, R Wilson.
Subs: C Day for Fernandez Lobbe (55), N Best for Lawes (71), S Myler for Geraghty (71)
Pens: Reihana, Geraghty, Myler
Referee: R Poite (France).

Munster 12 Northampton Saints 9

The Heineken Cup game between Munster and Northampton Saints at Thomond Park, Limerick on Friday Jan 22.

It was neither glorious nor spectacular but crucially for Munster it was enough. They head to the familiar pastures of the quarter-final for the 12th year in a row, surviving a second-half yellow card for their captain, Paul O’Connell, and quelling the resistance of a gutsy, if misfiring, Northampton side. Munster have a home quarter-final to savour.

The Saints, however, did earn a precious bonus point. They await Saturday evening’s result from London Irish with baited breath. The try-count (16 tries) is on their side, but only just. Given that Northampton kicked the ball into touch with the last play showed they were grateful for small mercies.

In truth, they will have tossed and turned through the night, rueing the chance missed when O’Connell was sent to the sin-bin for playing the ball with his hand in a ruck around the hour mark.

The Saints had position, they had Munster under the cosh, their scrum was bucking and creaking, forced to pack down with wing, Doug Howlett hanging on for dear life, and still Northampton could not make it count.

Munster dug deep into their elemental selves, somehow hooking the ball against the head at the fifth re-set scrum and the roars could be heard far out into the Atlantic. It was myth-making stuff. They’ll be writing plays about that scrum in years to come.

Without doubt it was the game’s turning point. On such small margins. Northampton had a sniff of glory but they wilted as a momentous moment beckoned. The killer touch, the decisive blow, the knockout punch – champions deliver. Northampton are not yet at that stage. Conversely, Munster defied the momentum of the moment to escape. They’ve done it so often, and yet still we wonder how. It’s not luck. It’s fortitude and togetherness, a triumph of character and self-belief over logic.

There was sweat and toil to admire from the Saints but crucially, though, there was not the necessary class or composure under duress.

Shane Geraghty was rushed and erratic at key moments, unable to impose himself on proceedings. As a result, there were precious few openings for the free spirits at the rear, the counter-attacking duo of full-back, Ben Foden and Chris Ashton.

“Some of our decision-making wasn’t very good but the sin-binning was a missed opportunity,“ said Northampton head coach, Jim Mallinder, who reported that lock, Christian Day, had been taken to hospital after temporary loss of feeling following a collision. “I think we’ve grown up. We’ve shown we can compete and on another day we would have won that game.“

Munster were grateful to get through. “Northampton were the real deal and can still be a force in the competition,“ said Munster head coach, Tony McGahan.

Munster could rely on traditional virtues: steepling kicks and blood-curdling follow-ups to set the tone. It was brutal and unyielding, with Munster flanker, Alan Quinlan to the fore. But Northampton stood their ground. Both sides were edgy, both intent on sounding out the other. The ball rained down time and again from the skies. Territory was prized real estate.

If there is a Munster fault-line, it’s in their scrummage. Northampton had an edge, winning penalties, the second of which drew blood when Bruce Reihana landed the goal from 45 metres to tie the scores. The first half yielded precious few openings, O’Gara nudging his side in front, 6-3, with a penalty goal a minute from the interval.

Northampton missed a couple early in the second half before Geraghty brought his side level. It wasn’t long before O’Gara tilted the balance back again.

Then came Northampton’s flirtation with destiny as O’Connell trudged to the sidelines. They flunked it.

Stephen Myler got three points back for Northampton but inevitably it was O’Gara who closed out the deal, his fourth penalty once again taking Munster to the promised land.

Match details

Munster: P Warwick; D Howlett, K Earls, J de Villiers, D Hurley; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; W de Preez, D Fogarty, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt), A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Wallace.
Subs: D Ryan for O'Callaghan (55), D Varley for Fogarty (55), M Horan for de Preez (67), T Buckley for Hayes (70)
Pens: O'Gara (4)
Yellow card: O'Connell (60)
Northampton Saints: B Foden; C Ashton, J Clarke, J Downey, B Reihana; S Geraghty, L Dickson; S Tongauiha, D Hartley [capt], E Murray, I Fernandez Lobbe, J Kruger, C Lawes, P Dowson, R Wilson.
Subs: C Day for Fernandez Lobbe (55), N Best for Lawes (71), S Myler for Geraghty (71)
Pens: Reihana, Geraghty, Myler
Referee: R Poite (France).

Scarlets 31 London Irish 22

The Heineken Cup game between Scarlets and London Irish at Parc y Scarlets, on Sunday Jan 17, 2009.

Finally a game and a famous win to grace Llanelli Scarlets' glistening new Parc y Stradey, the sort of rip-roaring comeback and victory the fans will fondly remember for decades and help them look more fondly on their new home.

The Exiles, focused and predatory for the first 50 minutes, won't see it like that but only have themselves to blame. At 22-10 with half an hour left on the clock the game appeared to be their with ample time to gain a fourth try and claim an invaluable bonus point.

They even turned down a simple penalty shot for that very reason, a decision which even at the time seemed a little premature, two converted tries surely has to be the minimum margin in such circumstances.

Minds were wandering and the Exiles soon started to lose control and composure against a Llanelli side that had already battled hard and possessed the passion and hunger to keep coming back for more. Powerful flanker Rob McCusker was the catalyst crossing twice in five minutes, the first a storming effort from 40 yards out, to turn the game around and get the crowd fired up. Suddenly Irish were wobbling badly.

Two points behind and with replacement Chris Malone on for a dropped goal attempt, the Exiles could still have prevailed but still they were in denial. Still they played the Barbarian style rugby which served them well in the opening exchanges and made no attempt to work a shot at goal for the reliable Malone. Thoughts of a bonus point needed to be jettisoned, it was a simple win that mattered not a fourth try.

Even worse was to follow. Lanelli mounted one final attack and young centre Jonathan Davies, another star performer on the day for this developing Scarlets side, stole over for the killer score under the posts, his second of the match.

The Irish therefore trekked back up the M4 last night without even the consolation of a losing bonus point and must now beat holders Leinster at Twickenham on Saturday night claim a bonus point themselves and deny Leinster a bonus point, to qualify for the quarter-finals. A massive task by any criteria.

"To be honest I thought we were a bit flattered by the 22-10 score line and in our push for the bonus point we put ourselves under pressure, we were guilty of not earning the right to go wide when we did," said coach Toby Booth afterwards. "The way we play there is always a price to pay, the margins are very tight. When we are at our best those margins go in our favour.

"The good thing about this team is that we like uphill challenges and Leinster will certainly be that. All we can is give us the best opportunity we can and try and heel some of the scars from today. It has all seemed so different in the first half when the Exilies – in a positive and aggressive fame of mind for which they deserve credit – played at a tempo which left the Scarlets hanging on for dear life.

Tom Homer crossed after a superbly crafted try, David Paice battered his way following good work from Chris Hala'Ufia and the Tongan was again in the mix soon after the break when he scored an almost comical try after the Scarlets defence had frozen as one and let Peter Hewat's high kick bounce unchallenged.

Booth was right though, Irish were living on a knife edge and conceding a lot of penalties in the process. Had Rhys Priestland, who enjoyed an otherwise impressive all-round game, found his range from the off the Scarlets would have been level. It was a lead built on smoke and mirrors and eventually the magic ran out.

Cardiff Blues 36 Sale Sharks 19

The Heineken Cup game between Cardiff Blues and Sale Sharks at Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, on Saturday Jan 16, 2009.

A lively enough encounter, competitive and highly entertaining at times, but one which did neither side any favours in terms of progressing through to the knockout stages.

Toulouse play Harlequins this afternoon in France to complete round five of Pool 5 and a bonus-point victory there would see them home as uncatchable group leaders a week early.

What’s more, five-point victories for Cardiff and Sale next week are unlikely to be enough to get them through as one of the two best losers.

In that sense, this match was a touch disappointing. It always takes something off a game when the result has little consequence and the fact that it was played at a half-full, soulless stadium didn’t help much either. The old Cardiff Arms Park had atmosphere and tradition.

This place, which Cardiff share with their footballing cousins, has neither, situated as it is in a retail park a fair old walk away from the town centre.

I watched Cardiff play Toulouse earlier in the season and that was flat too. What is rugby in Wales coming to when two decent European fixtures cannot raise more than a small yelp of excitement?

It was a pity that more folk didn’t bother to turn out because Cardiff played particularly well. It took them a while to get into their stride, but when they did they performed with an intelligence which is an increasingly rare commodity these days.

Xavier Rush is invariably the key figure for Cardiff. He provided the momentum with his carries for the rest of the side to feed off and was prominent from the start.

But Cardiff are far more than a bash-and-crash team. Gethin Jenkins, another key figure for them, offered the little touches which you don’t usually expect from a prop.

One little prod of a kick down the touchline early in the first half was vintage Jenkins; subtle, clever, well-executed.

And Jenkins can scrummage too. The Cardiff front-five eventually got the upper hand late in the game to such an extent that they forced another scrummage sin-bin from French referee Romain Poite, who got rid of Sale tight-head Martin Halsall.

Monsieur Poite handled the Leicester-Wasps game last week in which Tim Payne was yellow-carded. Heaven knows what he thinks of English scrummaging, but it can’t be much.

If Cardiff took a disappointment away from the game, it was that, with Sale down to 14 men after 65 minutes, they were unable to force the additional tries which would have given them a bonus point and made this week’s training far more interesting.

As it was, Rush cantered over for their third in injury time, as Sale sought a bonus-point score themselves, but it simply added to the sense of general deflation.

Cardiff’s other stars came in the shapes of Richie Rees at scrum-half, Jamie Roberts in the centre and Bradley Davies at lock. Roberts wasn’t quite at his best, but he is such a solid presence, so resolute and contained in what he does, that he shepherds his side through the difficult patches.

As for Rees and Davies? Rees, with his sniping, low-slung runs, made inroads at crucial moments, and Davies squared up to the Sale brutes up front.

Brutes? That may be a trifle harsh but there is a welcome air of menace when Sale are playing at their best. Dean Schofield and the Fijian Sisa Koyamaibole set the tone here.

Koyamaibole scampered over for the game’s opening score when a ball squirted out of the Cardiff scrum and Schofield got through an enormous amount of work for the best part of an hour.

Eventually, though, both men faded and that, coupled with poor discipline, which allowed marksman Ben Blair to bang over four penalties, took the puff out of Sale.

Not that Sale were entirely outclassed. There were some decent touches from Charlie Hodgson, who held on well to a rampaging Roberts on the break when in months gone by he would have slipped off the tackle, and there was enough from James Gaskell to suggest that the lock is a young man of substance, but that was pretty much that.

As the game faded to a close, the stand-out image was of Schofield struggling to hang on to a pass, eventually knocking the ball miles forward. It summed up Sale’s afternoon: industrious and honest but not quite composed enough.

Cardiff, on the other hand, may have pointed the way forward for Wales when they meet England at Twickenham for the start of the Six Nations. Play with intelligence and variety, bang over the penalties and the result takes care of itself.

Match details

Scores: 3-0 Blair pen, 3-5 Koyamaibole try, 6-5 Blair pen, 9-5 Halfpenny try, 12-5 Blair pen, 17-5 Rees try, 19-5 Blair con, 24-5 Davies try, 26-5 Blair con, 26-10 Tait try, 26-12 Hodgson con, 29-12 Blair pen, 29-17 Gaskell try, 29-19 Hodgson con, 34-19 Rush try, 36-19 Blair con.

Cardiff: B Blair; L Halfpenny, C Laulala (T Shanklin 69), J Roberts, T James; C Sweeney (S Norton Knight 78), R Rees (G Cooper 72); G Jenkins (capt), G Williams T Rhys Thomas 70), F Filise (G Powell 65), B Davies, D Jones (P Tito 57), A Powell, M Williams, X Rush.
Yellow card: M Williams 78.
Sale: N MacLeod; M Cueto, M Tait, L Thomas (J Kennedy 59), B Cohen (D Doherty 69); C Hodgson, D Peel (R Wigglesworth 53); E Roberts, N Briggs (M Jones 57), M Halsall, D Schofield, J Gaskell (C Jones 78), C Fearns, D Seymour (G Kerr 65-75), S Koyamaibole (L Abrahams 61).
Yellow cards: M Halsall (Sale) 65
Referee: R Poite (France). Att: 9,172.

Clermont Auvergne 27 Ospreys 7

The Heineken Cup game between Clermont Auvergne and Ospreys at Stade Marcel Michelin on Saturday Jan 16, 2009.

The Ospreys surrendered control of their Heineken Cup destiny last night, crashing to a comprehensive defeat to Clermont Auvergne at the Stade Marcel Michelin stadium.

The Welsh region, who had gone into the game with a four-point lead at the top of Pool Three, were last night resigned to the fact that they are now battling for one of the two best-placed runners-up places when they entertain Leicester Tigers at the Liberty Stadium next Saturday.

Ospreys coach Sean Holley fully expects Clermont to secure the maximum five points at Viadana, who were crushed by Leicester, which would see the French side qualify for the quarter-finals automatically, even if the Tigers can claim a bonus-point victory themselves in Swansea.

“Unless Viadana can bolster their armoury by next week I don’t imagine a side like Clermont will have much difficulty (in winning with a bonus point),” Ospreys coach Sean Holley conceded. “We will just focus on winning the game next week and there is nothing better than perhaps the biggest game of the season to refocus our attention."

Even so, Holley will face a tough task picking up his players up tomorrow morning after this mauling, which could have been heavier still if Brock James, who kicked 17 points, not seen three kicks at goal rebound off the uprights.

Aside from a high octane opening quarter, during which the Ospreys scored a superb try by Tommy Bowe, who could have scored twice had he not received a push in the back from Julien Malzieu as he collected a pass from Lee Byrne in the opening minute, Clermont utterly dominated the contest.

During the Ospreys' purple patch, South African scrum-half Ricky Januarie also came agonisingly close to pinching a try when his stole the ball at the breakdown from his own chip ahead only to lose the ball as he reached for the line following a heavy tackle by Seremaia Bai.

At that stage the Ospreys lead by seven points but the French side’s juggernaut pack soon afterwards took a suffocating grip on the contest and squeezed the life out of the visitors.

With dominance at the line-out and scrum, the growing pressure forced the Ospreys into conceding a rash of penalties which allowed Clermont to dominate possession and territory.

Once James had nudged his side in front before half-time with three penalties and a dropped goal, it already seemed like there was no way back for the Ospreys.

And so it proved. James made amends for two penalty misses with a high ball that paved the way for his side’s first try as Aurelien Rougerie gathered Byrne’s fumble before putting Julien Malzieu away.

After Adam Jones was shown yellow card for kicking ball away from an offside position, Clermont turned the screw, with James landing another penalty before an intercept try by Napolioni Nalaga capped a glorious night for the French side.

Match details

Scoring: 0-5, Bowe try; 0-7, Biggar con; 3-7 James pen; 6-7, James pen; 9-7, James pen; 12-7, James drop goal; 17-7, Malzieu try; 20-7 Brock pen; 25-7 Nalaga try; 27-7 James con.

Clermont Auvergne: A Floch; N Nalaga, A Rougerie, S Bai, J Malzieu; B James, M Parra; T Domingo, M Ledesma, D Zirakashvili, J Cudmore, T Privat, J Bonnaire, A Lapandry, E Vermeulen.
Subs: V Debaty for Domingo (54), G Canale for Bai (58), M Scelzo for Zirakashvili (66), A Audebert for Vermeulen (62), B Russell for Floch (69), J Pierre for Privat (72)
Ospreys: L Byrne; T Bowe, S Parker, A Bishop, N Walker; D Biggar, R Januarie; P James, R Hibbard, A Jones, A Wyn Jones, J Thomas, J Collins, M Holah, R Jones. H Bennett for Hibbard (65), J Hook for Parker (67), C Griffiths for Walker (70-78), F Tiatia for Collins (72), I Gough for Thomas (78), J Nutbrown for Januarie (78), S Williams for Walker (78).
Yellow card: A Jones
Referee: D Pearson (RFU)
Attendance: 15,000

Gloucester 23 Biarritz 8

The Heineken Cup game between Gloucester and Biarritz at Kingsholm, Gloucester, on Saturday Jan 16, 2009.

The last 100 per cent record in this season's Heineken Cup disappeared at a dank Kingsholm but Gloucester's reward for inflicting a first defeat on Biarritz is more likely to be a place in the quarter-finals of the second-tier Amlin Challenge Cup than the last eight of this competition.

Even a maximum points win in their final group match at Newport Gwent Dragons is unlikely to be enough to enable Gloucester to progress in the Heineken Cup as one of the two best runners-up, which would be the penalty for losing successive away games at Biarritz and Glasgow before Christmas.

But Gloucester are a different proposition at home and they enjoyed themselves on heavy a pitch on a filthy afternoon against a Biarritz side who appeared ill-equipped to make it five straight wins.

Biarritz travelled without eight first choice regulars - seven of them internationals - which said more about their injury problems than the importance they attached to this match.

Three players, scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili, centre Damien Traille and loosehead prop Fabien Barcella sustained knee ligament injuries in last weekend's defeat by Stade Francais and are expected to sit out France's Six Nations campaign. Former England winger Iain Balshaw was also ruled out of a return to the club he left last summer.

Gloucester's own lengthy injury list was showing signs of shortening until flanker Alasdair Strokosch was helped off late in the fist half by medical staff and taken straight to the dressing rooms. "He twisted his ankle after a re-start, but it doesn't look too concerning", said Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath, which will come as good news for Scotland ahead of the Six Nations.

Heavy snow twice forced Gloucester's ground staff, helped by volunteers from the club offices, to clear the playing surface during the week but steady rain throughout the day produced a gluepot which contributed to an error-strewn but entertaining encounter.

Some of the most surefooted running in tricky conditions came from Lesley Vainikolo, the heavyweight winger, who harassed Biarritz all afternoon and who scored Gloucester‘s opening try after some nimble footwork from Alasdair Dickinson.

Former Scotland prop Dickinson, in his first start since October, found a gaping hole in the defence then popped the ball to Vainikolo who ploughed through the mud.

There was some nice approach work from Gloucester thereafter with Tim Molenaar, the former Nottingham centre, impressing in the number 13 shirt that Mike Tindall will expect to take when he recovers from a persistent hamstring problem.

Molenaar, a New Zealander, capped an industrious performance with the try that sealed Gloucester's win, rounding off a move started by a lovely break from Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu and sustained by Vainikolo.

But handling errors close to the line prevented Gloucester turning their pressure into more tries and it was left to fly-half Nicky Robinson to increase their lead with some well-struck penalties.

Biarritz's own scoring opportunities were more limited. Valentin Courrent, the former Sale fly-half, kicked a first half penalty but hooked a long range effort after the break to hoots of derisive laughter from The Shed.

There were some neat touches from scrum-half Yann Lesgourgues, on his last day as an 18-year-old, but Biarritz were often reduced to spoiling tactics in the loose which tested the patience of the home crowd and referee George Clancy.

The result had long been decided when Imanol Harinorduquy picked up from the base of a scrum and slithered over for a try that rewarded Biarritz for a period of sustained period of forward pressure.

Match details

Scoring: 3-0 Robinson pen; 8-0 Vainikolo try; 10-0 Robinson con; 10-3 Courrent pen; 13-3 Robinson pen; 16-3 Robinson pen; 21-3 Molenaar try; 23-3 Robinson con; 23-8 Harinordoquy try

Gloucester: O Morgan; J Simpson-Daniel, T Molenaar (T Voyce 67), E Fuimaono-Sapolu (F Burns 76), L Vainikolo; N Robinson, R Lawson; A Dickinson (N Wood 67), S Lawson, G Somerville, D Attwood (A Eustace 75), A Brown, A Strokosch (L Narraway 36), A Qera, G Delve (captain).
Biarritz: P Couet-Lannes; T Ngwenya, A Mignardi, A Erinle, I Bolakoro; V Courrent (L Tranier 67), Y Lescourgues; E Coetzee, R Terrain (B August 52), R Hugues (M Moala 50), J Thion (captain), M Carizza (T Hall 52), M Lund, S Vahafolau (F Alexandre 63), I Harinordoquy.
Referee: Mr G Clancy (Ireland)
Attendance: 10,103

Leicester Tigers 47 Viadana 8

The Heineken Cup game between Leicester Tigers and Viadana at Welford Road, Leicester, on Saturday Jan 16 2009.

Leicester accomplished the crucial mission of a try bonus point in only 35 minutes but by then they had also lost England flanker Tom Croft to a knee injury which makes him highly unlikely to start the Six Nations.

Croft looked thoroughly forlorn when helped off in the 26th minute after again injuring the medial ligaments of his left knee in his first start since the end of November when he hobbled off against Leeds.

Richard Cockerill, Leicester's head coach, confirmed the gloomy forecast after his team had won by seven tries to one. "It's very disappointing for Crofty. He's injured the same knee and could well be out for a similar period of time, four to five weeks."

Croft will have a scan on Monday which will determine whether he has a chance of making England's opening game, against Wales, at Twickenham on Feb 6.

Cockerill added: "We just have to hope that he has some good news. He would certainly be in England's match squad of 23."

There was some good news for the England management after prop Julian White made a successful comeback in the final 20 minutes from the hamstring injury which derailed his international hopes last autumn.

The injury to Croft came in a first half when Leicester needed only to play in bursts to score the four tries necessary for a bonus point which keeps them in the hunt to top Pool Three. That matter will will be settled next Saturday against the Ospreys in Swansea.

Cockerill said he was delighted at Leicester's execution in a first half which flattened a Viadana team whose only reply was a penalty goal for full-back Garry Law.

"It was a difficult afternoon because the pitch was boggy and it's hard to play against a side who only want to kick the ball and defend," he added.

Viadana have yet to win a match in the Heineken Cup and were nothing more than cannon fodder for a rejigged Leicester team which brought substitute roles for Lewis Moody and Aaron Mauger.

Mauger, who has struggled for fitness in the past two months, appeared in the 49th minute when Leicester had built a 35-3 lead through five first-half tries and the accurate goal kicking of Toby Flood who converted all the touchdowns alongside his own first-half try.

The New Zealander, who looks certain to return home this summer to compete for a place in the All Blacks World Cup squad, galloped away for Leicester's final try after Alex Tuilagi had burst clear.

His centre partner Dan Hipkiss, alongside the assured Flood, looked Leicester's most agile back. He scored two tries including the opening score in the sixth minute after he was put clear by the outside-half.

Leicester's other scorers were two from full-back Scott Hamilton, whose break from near the halfway line brought up the crucial fourth try, and flanker Ben Woods, another player making his way back from injury having spent three months on the sidelines due to a broken foot.

Match details:

Leicester: S Hamilton (J Murphy 57); A Tuilagi, D Hipkiss, S Vesty, L Tuqiri; T Flood, B Youngs (J Grindal 57); M Ayerza (B Stankovich 69), G Chuter, D Cole (J White 57), L Deacon (capt), G Parling (L Moody 59), T Croft (C Newby 27), B Woods, J Crane.
Viadana: G Law; M Pratichetti, S Cox, L Johansson, M Sepe (S Pace 58); P Hola, P Canavosio (A Birchall 64); P Sciamanna (M Cagna 64), L Ferraro (capt, R Santamaria 67), J Garcia (L Milani , C del Fava, S Hohneck, A Persico, A Benatti (A Birchall 56, J Erasmus.
Scores: 5-0 Hipkiss try, 7-0 Flood con, 7-3 Law pen, 12-3 Woods try, 14-3 Flood con, 19-3 Flood try, 21-3 Flood con, 26-3 Hamilton try, 28-3 Flood con, 33-3 Hamilton try, 35-3 Flood con, 35-8 Canavosio try, 40-8 Hipkiss try, 42-8 Vesty con, 47-8 Mauger try
Referee: J Jones (Wales).

Stade Francais 15 Bath 13

The Heineken Cup game between Stade Francais and Bath at Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris, on Saturday Jan 16 2009.

Bath were dumped out of Europe as Julien Arias' brace of tries earned Stade Francais a hard-fought victory in Paris.

The West Country side needed to win to remain in with a chance of qualifying for the latter stages of either the Heineken Cup or its sister competition, the Amlin Challenge Cup.

But they slipped to their fourth Pool Four defeat in five matches to stay bottom of the pile, with Arias scoring both his tries in the first half to give Stade a 15-3 lead by the 34th minute.

Michael Claassens' try and a penalty by Nicky Little - his second of the match to add to a conversion - brought Bath to within two points of Stade but the hosts held on with little trouble and they stay top of the group.

The match was played in dreadful weather conditions, with rain having come down in Paris hours before kick-off.

It meant the ball was like a bar of soap, with Bath full-back Joe Maddock encountering early problems fielding up-and-unders. He dropped two in the space of a minute around the quarter-hour mark, the second of which led to a penalty that Lionel Beauxis slotted over to give Stade the lead.

Little replied with one of his own in the 19th minute but Stade were soon back in front when Mathieu Bastareaud's kick ahead was collected by Arias, who went over for the try down the left.

Former England lock Danny Grewcock riled the crowd - and a number of Stade players too - with a late hit on Arias that somehow went unpunished as the game continued to be a battle of attrition on a muddy pitch.

The Stade winger recovered to deal Bath a further blow by scoring his second try of the match, in the 34th minute, finishing off a free-flowing move on the right that involved James Haskell, Hugo Southwell and Dimitri Szarzewski.

But the visitors went into the break only five points behind thanks to some laughable play by Beauxis, who attempted to fly-hack away Southwell's pass.

The full-back succeeded only in kicking thin air and Claassens fell on the loose ball for a try Little converted.

The Fijian fly-half then landed a 42nd-minute penalty as Bath closed to within two points at 15-13.

The pitch, especially its middle section, had cut up quite substantially by that stage so both sides' backs saw little of the ball out wide.

Stade were still dominating possession but Bath's close-quarter defence was strong, frustrating the home crowd, who became even more incensed when Beauxis missed a simple penalty attempt on the hour mark.

Little, who kicked all three of his shots at goal but less than impressive in other facets of his game, was replaced with 18 minutes left as Ryan Davis came on in a late bid to prolong Bath's European adventure.

There was not a try-scoring opportunity worthy of the name as Stade held out comfortably to go four points clear at the top of the pool. They just need to avoid defeat at Edinburgh next week to progress.

Treviso 7 Munster 44

The Heineken Cup game between Treviso and Munster at Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso, on Saturday Jan 16, 2009.

Munster ran in six tries to comfortably beat Treviso in their Heineken Cup encounter at Stadio Comunale di Monigo.

Keith Earls touched down in either half while Denis Hurley, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul Warwick and Donnacha Ryan also scored while Ronan O'Gara added 12 points in an emphatic victory.

Alessandro Zanni grabbed an interception score but the Italian champions never looked likely to win this one.

The result leaves Munster seven points clear at the top of Pool One, ahead of Northampton Saints who play tomorrow.

Treviso had proved tough opponents in Italy having beaten Perpignan in the opening round of the group stage and pushed Northampton hard.

However from the moment outside-half Marius Goosen missed their first scoring chance with a penalty on two minutes, they were always struggling to remain in the game.

Munster took control of the tie after scoring three tries in the space of eight minutes.

A break by Earls was followed by Paul O'Connell's pass to Hurley who ran in for his first Heineken Cup try, in the fourth minute.

Earls was then rewarded for his earlier break when he was on the end of Doug Howlett's attack from deep to double the lead on six minutes.

The third try followed swiftly as the ball moved through several pairs of hands before O'Callaghan passed to Niall Ronan before staggering to his feet to receive the return pass to score on 11 minutes.

O'Gara had missed his first two conversion attempts but this proved to be third time lucky before adding a penalty that opened a comfortable 20-0 lead after just 16 minutes.

Treviso had a brief spell with the upper hand and looked effective in the scrum. That saw scrum-half Simon Picone go close before his opposite number Tomas O'Leary had his pass intercepted by flanker Zanni who had the legs to run in from half-way.

Goosen converted to reduce the lead to 20-7 but Munster got back on track before half-time.

O'Gara kicked a second penalty before his pass saw Warwick break clear, kick ahead and beat two defenders to the bouncing ball beyond the try line. That wrapped up the bonus point for Munster, six minutes before half-time.

Even at 30-7 down, Treviso refused to buckle and put the wraps on Munster for 20 minutes of the second half as the game slowed. However Jean de Villiers finally broke the second-half deadlock when his burst allowed Earls to grab a second try. O'Gara converted for 37-7 on 63 minutes.

Damien Varley thought he had scored his first Heineken Cup try but was ruled to have knocked on over the line but the replacement was involved in the game's final attack that saw Ryan touch down for their sixth try.

Gloucester 19 Glasgow 6

The Heineken Cup game between Gloucester and Glasgow at Kingsholm on Sunday Dec 20 2009.

Gloucester have almost certainly left themselves too much to do to reach the Heineken Cup’s knockout stages, but this gutsy victory over Glasgow on Sunday at least gives them a shot at redemption.

Gloucester trail the unbeaten Biarritz in Pool Two by 10 points. They would need to garner maximum points from their last two matches and beat the Basque side at Kingsholm by the highly unlikely margin of 28 points – as well as hoping that Biarritz did not score a point in their final game at home to Glasgow. Gloucester’s hopes of qualifying as one of the two best-placed runners-up also look forlorn, and the best they can hope for is a resounding finish to help their claims for a place in the knockout stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup. Glasgow are out of contention and will look now to consolidate their position at the top of the Magners League.

At half-time, it looked as though Gloucester’s woes might continue, for they trailed 6-0. But their discipline tightened, their scrum made inroads, James Simpson-Daniel started weaving and the high-scoring, 20-year-old wing, Charlie Sharples, continued his rich vein of form with a decisive try midway through the second half. That was his fifth try in the past four games. England’s radar will soon be flickering.

It has been a bumpy season in the west country. Bristol are in the Championship, Bath have been hit by scandal and are struggling, while Gloucester were whipped 33-11 at Glasgow last weekend. There was pride to salvage, and possibly the job of head coach Bryan Redpath to save. Redpath stepped up and took up the reins after the dismissal of Dean Ryan. The former Scotland scrum-half is shrewd, hard-working but inexperienced. So, too, are his side.

“It’s been a tough six months,” Redpath said. “Today should be confirmation that we’re not as bad as some people think. But we’ve got to push on now. We’ve got to get back on track, not keeping having ifs and buts, ups and downs. The board here at Gloucester is fairly demanding, so too those who stand in the Shed, and they’ve every right to be. This is a win-lose industry and we’ve got to win more than we lose. We can carry the confidence of the board and fans with us over the next three weeks. The games against Bath, Worcester and Newcastle are massive for us.”

Gloucester’s lack of stability and composure showed in their early play. Confidence is brittle and they need time to grow together. In the unforgiving world of professional sport, time is rarely available. With successive Premiership home wins over Leicester and Newcastle under their belt, Gloucester are scuffling their way towards respectability. They lie eighth in the Premiership and have a west country derby against Bath on Sunday.

This win was important in restoring self-belief and injecting zip and devil to their play. Centre Mike Tindall, an important element in the Gloucester set-up, is close to returning after missing the past couple of months with a hamstring problem that has plagued him for most of the season.

Gloucester have lacked leadership on the field. They did here for much of the first half. Their discipline was poor. They gave away too many penalties and had flanker Andy Hazell sent to the sin-bin for foolishly hooking the ball away with his foot as the Glasgow scrum-half, Chris Cusiter, shaped to clear.

Dan Parks kicked the goal on that occasion and also knocked over a smartly-taken drop-goal in the 23rd minute. Gloucester needed redirecting at the half-time interval, needed reminding also what they had to offer. Thereafter they kept clear as best they could of the breakdown, where Glasgow openside John Barclay showed why he is such a valuable member of Andy Robinson’s Scotland squad. He was a classic pest, foraging, pilfering and arousing the ire of the crowd, a mark of honour for any flanker.

Glasgow were also well served by their grafting lock, Richie Gray, and the loping No 8, Richie Vernon. It took a claw-back tackle from Simpson-Daniel to halt Vernon in the first half.

Gloucester, though, found their range after the break. They scored two tries and might have had a couple more, only for jittery handling to let them down. Sharples was also called back for a forward pass after seemingly touching down again with the last move of the match.

Nicky Robinson got the scoreboard moving for Gloucester with two penalty goals before Sharples struck in the 58th minute. Simpson-Daniel and Olly Morgan combined down the blind side before the impressive No 8, Gareth Delve, punched through the middle. When the ball came back to the right flank, smart work from Simpson-Daniel sent Sharples on his way.

Gloucester’s second try, in the 70th minute, was also well worked; Morgan, Robinson and Sharples making ground before Alasdair Strokosch’s neat pass put lock Alex Brown over the line.

“We had to set the record straight this week,” Redpath said.

Gloucester did just that.

Match details

Gloucester: Morgan; Sharples, Simpson-Daniel, Molenaar, Voyce; Robinson, R Lawson; Wood, S Lawson, Doran-Jones, Attwood, Strokosch, Hazell, Delve, Brown.
Replacements: Fuimaono-Sapolu for Molenaar (48), Lewis for R. Lawson (77), Somerville for Doran-Jones (46), Eustace for Attwood (72). Not used: Dawidiuk, Dickinson, Narraway, Spencer.
Glasgow: Stortoni; McCall, M Evans, Morrison, van der Merwe; Parks, Cusiter; Welsh, Hall, Low, Gray, Kellock, Brown, Barclay, Vernon.
Replacements: Gregor for Stortoni (59), Shaw for M. Evans (66), Beattie for Vernon (59), McMillan for Cusiter (62), Tkachuk for Welsh (49), Thomson for Hall (59), Turner for Gray (50), Kalman for Low (69).

Perpignan 14 Munster 37

The Heineken Cup game between Perpignan and Munster at Stade Aimé Giral on Sunday Dec 20 2009.

Some academy team! Perpignan’s young flanker, Yoann Vivalda, taunted Munster in midweek by insisting the previous week’s 24-23 defeat at Thomond was no more demanding than an academy runaround.

On Sunday night he was licking his wounds after being taught a barrowload of harsh lessons by a supercharged Munster, who rolled back the years to produce probably the best road win in their illustrious Heineken Cup history. Which is saying something.

Munster were superb from start to finish and even managed a fourth try in the final minute to garnish an already memorable victory with a bonus point which very much puts them in charge in this pool.

Confronted with the challenge of tackling the reigning French champions on a ground where they have lost just twice in Heineken history, Munster went straight on to the front foot.

In this Catalan stronghold attack is the only form of defence and in taking the game to Perpignan, Munster rediscovered a fluency that has eluded them for a season or more. Top-drawer stuff which sends out all kinds of messages.

''Considering where we are coming from in terms of form, that is right up there with our best-ever wins on the road,” said Munster’s delighted captain, Paul O’Connell.

“It was the ultimate team performance; we didn’t have to rely on any individual magic, every last player did a brilliant job.

“I thought Jean de Villiers summed it up. A World Cup winner with South Africa, he has reacted brilliantly to being selected on the bench recently and when he came on you could see how popular his try was. There is a long way to go yet, but this was a real Munster performance.”

Both sides lived close to the edge in a highly physical and occasionally spiteful first half which was not for the faint-hearted, but when two big beasts like this tangle, somebody is going to get hurt.

Munster refused to be intimidated and matched big hit for big hit and, when need be, punch for punch. More importantly, they were playing all the rugby and David Wallace and stand-in hooker Denis Fogarty were enjoying huge games in the loose, hoovering up any loose ball. Lifeimi Mafi, meanwhile, was smashing into anything that moved with a Tongan relish that left Perpignan staggering.

After an early penalty from David Mele, Munster immediately took control and silenced the crowd with a well-deserved converted try for Fogarty and a Ronan O’Gara penalty. Perpignan were busy but to little real effect, although they did claw back two penalties before half-time to create a deceptive-looking scoreline.

After the break Munster disappeared into the distance. O’Gara quickly added a brace of penalties and then Paul Warwick produced a sumptuous pass for Denis Hurley to run on to at pace to score in the corner.

Munster were in the mood and next De Villiers shrugged off the Perpignan defence to put the game beyond all reasonable doubt with a try under the posts.

Twelve minutes to go and one try needed for a an unexpected bonus point. Cue the ever-reliable Doug Howlett in the final minute and a dash for their chartered plane home, a flight full of carols and craic.

It is going to be a very merry Christmas in Limerick, Cork and all points west. As for Vivalda, he will wake up a much wiser and chastened young man.