Pool 1: Wasps answer their ‘fairweather’ critics
Wasps must be kicking themselves for their late capitulation at Harlequins the previous weekend for there can be little doubt it was at the Stoop where their hopes of reaching the knockout stages disappeared. To their credit they produced perhaps their best performance of their campaign to eliminate Ulster, securing an emphatic bonus point win only to come up just short as they and Exeter finished as the two runners-up who failed to qualify. In doing so they may have also answered a few critics who could suggest they are a fairweather team – scoring four tries on a pitch as poor as theirs on Sunday is no mean feat. Credit goes to Quins, too, who were expected to slip to a cricket score defeat in La Rochelle without Mike Brown, Chris Robshaw and Kyle Sinckler but battled manfully until the end. Gerard Meagher
Pool 1 matches Wasps 26-7 Ulster; La Rochelle 16-7 Quins
Pool 2: Gatland watches on in horror
The success story of the Scarlets aside, it was not a great weekend for Wales, all be told. Chief among Warren Gatland’s concerns is the fitness of Dan Biggar, who sustained a shoulder injury late on in the Ospreys’ defeat by Clermont, which eliminated the Welsh side. Biggar will be assessed by Wales on Monday but, he looked in considerable pain and considering Rhys Priestland is already out of action with injury, it is worrying indeed for Gatland. Furthermore, Liam Williams withdrew from Saracens’ win against Northampton before kick-off, after reporting stiffness, having made his comeback from a groin/hernia injury a week earlier. Williams will also need further assessment but it is a complicated injury, sustained in mid-November and therefore another headache for Gatland. At least Wales were boosted by George North’s return from the bench for Northampton. GM
Pool 2 matches Saracens 62-14 Northampton; Clermont 24-7 Ospreys
Pool 3: No respite for Leinster after surviving group of death
This was just about the most deathly group of death European rugby has ever seen, although the good folk of Pools 1 and 2 might have something to say about that. But, as the two “weaker” seeds, Montpellier and Glasgow would take some beating as hellish opponents. Ask the English champions, Exeter, whose hopes of a quarter-final place were torn apart on Saturday by Glasgow’s brilliance. All the more ridiculous that this represented the Scottish side’s first win in Europe this season. All the more impressive that Leinster qualify from such a minefield unbeaten and as top seeds. Their reward? A visit from the double European champions, Saracens. No respite. Michael Aylwin
Pool 3 matches Montpellier 14-23 Leinster; Glasgow 28-21 Exeter
Pool 4: Praise for Leicester defeat shows how far they’ve slipped
These are troubling times indeed for Leicester – eight defeats in nine matches in all competitions and in Europe they have now won only one of their last eight games – a sorry record for a team that won this competition for consecutive seasons at the start of the century. In terms of endeavour they gave it a good go but they have lost narrowly twice to Racing and on each occasion their lack of power among the forwards has been exposed. They may have lost by just three points and finished the match camped on the Racing line but it is a measure of just how far they have slipped if that is considered praiseworthy. Munster, meanwhile, produced the kind of controlled performance that is swiftly becoming their trademark to end what little hopes Wasps had of advancing. GM
Pool 4 matches Leicester 20-23 Racing; Munster 48-3 Castres
Pool 5: Scarlets confirm status as comeback kids
Scarlets became only the second team to lose their first two matches and finish at the top of their pool, the first Welsh region to make the Champions Cup quarter-finals since Cardiff Blues in 2012. While it was always likely to be one of the groups that supplied two teams in the last eight, given the presence of Treviso, the Italian club were not the soft touches of yore and were leading by seven points at Parc y Scarlets in December with three minutes to go despite having played for nearly an hour with 14 men. The Pro12 champions were going out in undignified fashion when they turned a defeat into a draw and then a victory with two tries in quick succession. Scarlets, known for their cunning and daring in possession – showcased in the fifth‑round win at Bath – have this season demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity, winning matches in which they have not been at their best with the final play of the game, as against Ospreys last month. Easy on the eye maybe but not soft to the touch. Paul Rees
Pool 5 matches Scarlets 30-27 Toulon; Benetton 28-47 Bath
