Rugby clubs to compete for European Cup quarter-final spots
Joining the English giants in the nail-biting climax of pool play in European club rugby's showpiece tournament -- where only the six pool winners and two best runners-up progress, are French champions Clermont, Perpignan, Biarritz, Bath, Scarlets and Ulster.
After the penultimate round of matches, Northampton, Leinster, Toulon and Toulouse were all confirmed as winners of their respective pools.
Once again, the weakness of the two Italian clubs, Aironi and Treviso (bar the former's shock defeat of Biarritz), has opened up their respective pools, with the three other teams having racked up a hatful of points against the whipping boys.
This means the two spots for best runner-up will likely come from either Pool 4 or 5, the latter providing the most intriguing mix.
Perpignan currently head Pool 5 on points difference from Leicester, with Scarlets two points adrift.
The line-up next weekend will see the Tigers hosting winless Treviso and the Welsh region travelling to the Basque country seeking a bonus-point win as well as a massive upset in Leicester.
"Hopefully, we can get five points next week and move on," said Leicester's impressive ex-Crusaders backrow forward Thomas Waldrom.
"It's pretty tight but that's what you play rugby for. It's a fortress there for us at Welford Road. Hopefully we'll get 24,000 to cheer us on."
Coach Richard Cockerill added: "If we're level on points at the end of it, Perpignan will go through because of results between us and them.
"We've got to win with a bonus point and hope that Scarlets go there and do a job or at least stop them scoring more than three (tries).
"We've just got to deal with what we can deal with and that's getting as many points next week and a bonus point and being somewhere in the quarter-finals."
Biarritz are locked with Ulster on 17 points in Pool 4, with Bath still in the running, at least mathematically, on 13 -- they would need a bonus-point win in Biarritz along with an Ulster defeat to Aironi.
Ian Humphreys kicked Ulster to a crucial win over Biarritz on Saturday, landing a 51-metre effort with just two minutes remaining and leaving the 1999 champions as firm favourites to pick up at least one of the two best runners-up spots.
"The group's not in our hands because of the match points over the two games against Biarritz but we've put ourselves in a position where a good win against Aironi next week should get us qualification of some sort," said Humphreys.
"We're requiring Bath to do a bit of a job for us and next week won't be easy. Aironi have already beaten Biarritz and we only won over there in the league due to an intercept try, so it's going to be tough.
"But we'll go there full of confidence. That's six wins in eight games now so we know that whenever we've got our full strength team out we're a pretty handy side."
Wasps, however, have been left a mountain to climb after a 20-10 loss to Glasgow on Sunday which coach Tony Hanks said had left him "supremely disappointed".
The London club trail Pool 6 leaders and Cup holders Toulouse by six points and will now face the French club at home next Sunday.
"We've made it very difficult to get through. We're most likely going to have to rely on other results," said Hanks.
"I've said to the players that we can't sit around sulking, we have to front up next week."