Stade Toulousain 42 (13)
Stade Francais 16 (10)

European specialists Stade Toulousain are just one game away from a record sixth Heineken Cup final after trouncing arch rivals Stade Francais 42-16 on a sun-kissed afternoon in south west France.

The Parisians held on for an hour, even having the temerity to open the scoring through Rodrigo Roncero’s 19^th-minute try, but Toulouse finally broke their defensive shackles as they cut loose in the closing quarter.

Man-of-the-match Yannick Jauzion scored a crucial try to edge them ahead just before half-time, while later scores from Patricio Albacete and Cedric Heymans added the flourish after Guy Noves’ team rolled out their sublime champagne rugby in the second period.

Stade Toulousain scrum-half Byron Kelleher has promised a re-run of his infamous bus-top Haka should his team go all the way and win this season’s Heineken Cup.

The former All Black scrum-half marked the culmination of a superb debut season in 2007/8 by giving club supporters a half-naked demonstration of the famous Maori welcome while Stade Toulousain toured the city with the Brennus Bouclier – the Top 14 trophy.

It was a memorable highlight in a season jam-packed with peaks – Kelleher was also voted Top 14’s Player of the Year – but there was also one notable low point as Stade lost the final of the Heineken Cup to Munster.

Biarritz will be facing a star-studded Ospreys side when they take on the Welsh province at a sold out Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian, Spain, on Saturday afternoon.

Welsh wing wizard Shane Williams has recovered from his shoulder injury to claim a staring place, while lock Alun Wyn Jones also returns alongside hooker Huw Bennett.

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Biarritz coach Jack Isaacs singled out Williams as a potential match-winner for the Welsh, admitting that the 33-year-old “is capable of making the difference”.

Williams recently scored his 50^th try for Wales during the Six Nations and Isaacs was full of praise for the former IRB Player of the Year.

Top 14 leaders Clermont Auvergne sealed their Heineken Cup quarter-final berth in style, running in nine tries tries away to Viadana as they overwhelmed the Italian side.

Clermont went into the match knowing a bonus-point win would be enough to guarantee their progress from Pool 3, and they achieved that five minutes before half-time when skipper Aurélien Rougerie touched down for their fourth try of a dominant opening period.

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The score was Rougerie's second of the half, adding to those by Fijian winger Napolioni Nalaga and French scrum-half Morgan Parra.

Parra was first over the line, touching down after just two minutes as 'Les Jaunards' got off to the perfect start. It remained largely one-way traffic thereafter, with the French side in total control as they continued their excellent recent form.

Top 14 leaders Clermont Auvergne sealed their Heineken Cup quarter-final berth in style, running in nine tries tries away to Viadana as they overwhelmed the Italian side.

Clermont went into the match knowing a bonus-point win would be enough to guarantee their progress from Pool 3, and they achieved that five minutes before half-time when skipper Aurélien Rougerie touched down for their fourth try of a dominant opening period.

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The score was Rougerie's second of the half, adding to those by Fijian winger Napolioni Nalaga and French scrum-half Morgan Parra.

Public humiliation is not to everyone's taste but the inner pain felt by French rugby 12 months ago has acted as a spur rather than a noose following the abject failure of its seven representatives in the 2008/9 Heineken Cup. Only Stade Toulousain made last season's quarter-finals, but even they were sent packing with their heads bowed after being out-fought and out-thought by Cardiff Blues in the last eight.

That left the semi-finals without a single representative from Top 14, and led to a period of national wailing that culminated in some serious summer recruitment and a re-think on how to approach this season's competition. The net result of that has been a greater emphasis on progressing in Europe's premier club competition, with the possible conclusion that France could provide four of the eight quarter-finalists this time around.

Stade Toulousain ran in four tries to beat Harlequins 33-21 on Sunday afternoon to seal their place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

The three-time champions now have an unassailable six-point lead in Pool 5, although they will still be keen to win away to Sale Sharks next weekend to secure a home berth.

Jean-Baptiste Elissalde opened the scoring with his 19th-minute penalty for the hosts, but the home side were given a scare when Harlequins full-back Mike Brown then followed in four minutes later for the game's first try.

Nick Evans added the conversion to put Harlequins 3-7 up, but Stade responded with two more Elissalde penalties before Florian Fritz touched down after an excellent intercept break from Cedric Heymans.

It's crunch time in the Heineken Cup with the final two rounds of the pool stages starting tonight (Friday) as the race for quarter-final berths comes to a head.

Of the six French sides involved four have genuine aspirations to progress through to the last eight with Biarritz, Stade Francais and Stade Toulousain all leading their respective groups, while Top 14 leaders Clermont Auvergne are also handily placed. Only Brive and Perpignan are playing for pride as the jostling for European glory continues.

Biarritz finally put a smile on French rugby as they hammered Newport Gwent Dragons 49-13 to become the only side still boasting a 100% win record after three rounds of the Heineken Cup.

England sevens captain Ollie Phillips scored a late try as Stade Francais rallied from 24-12 to win 27-29 in Pool 4.

The former Newcastle winger beat Nick Abendanon on the outside in the 75th-minute as the Parisians capped an excellent fightback.

Scrum-half Julien Dupuy missed the ensuing conversion, leaving Stade still a point adrift, but then kicked his seventh successful penalty in the final minute as Bath paid the ultimate price for their ill-discipline.

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They must be sick of the sight of Dupuy as it was the international scrum-half who ended their Heineken Cup ambitions last season when he kicked former club Leicester Tigers to victory.

Today's defeat could have similar consequence with Bath now right up against it to try and qualify from Pool 2.

Three-time European champions Stade Toulousain fought from 0-14 down to win 23-19 at Harlequins, and continue their excellent start in Pool 5.

The French giants looked lethargic and strangely off the pace as they were continually hustled into errors by Quins in the opening period, with England winger Ugo Monye touching down for a try (on 28 minutes) and fly-half Nick Evans kicking three penalties.

Stade full-back Maxime Medard experienced a particularly torrid first half, but was integral to the visitors' recovery and played a key role in their first try, just four minutes after the restart. The young international got a favourable bounce from an up-field kick, paving the way for winger Yves Donguy to crash through for his third try of this year's tournament. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde kicked the extras, and was on target again just three minutes later after No 8 Shaun Sowerby piled over from th back of a ruck following yet more chaos from another high ball.

French champions Perpignan began their Heineken Cup rescue mission with a 29-13 home win against Northampton Saints in Pool 1.

The Catalans have serious ground to make up after slumping to a shock 9-8 defeat in Italy last weekend, but at least got back to winning ways with Friday evening’s victory.

Full-back Jérôme Porical kicked 19 points to ensure the win, with Perpignan centre David Marty also grabbing a try (a minute before half-time) to add to the home side’s earlier penalty try (in the 17^th minute).

The joy of sport is its never-ending propensity to surprise, and the opening round of the 2009/10 Heineken Cup proved no exception.

Holders Leinster kicked off the weekend with a shock 9-12 home reverse against London Irish in Pool 6, while French champions Perpignan were downed 9-8 by Italian minnows Benetton Treviso - who had lost their previous 10 home games in the competition.

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That last result apart - and we'll deal with that later - it was a decent opening round for French clubs with Stades Toulousain and Francais both opening with convincing home wins, while Clermont Auvergne did what was required against Viadana.

Biarritz's 22-18 away win at Glasgow Warriors also confirmed the Basques excellent current form, while Brive's 24-12 loss at Scarlets was to be expected too as the Limousin club continue to struggle.

England and Stade Francais flanker James Haskell believes he is playing the best rugby of career following his summer over across the Channel.

The 24-year-old lost form, confidence and his England shirt during a troubled end to last season, but now appears reinvigorated after his transfer to the Paris giants.

His form has been consistently good since the beginning of the season, even managing to shine while Stade experienced a troubled opening that eventually saw the sacking of coaches Ewen McKenzie and Christophe Dominici.

At that point Stade were, almost unbelievably, wallowing in the Top 14 relegation zone, but the appointment of Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron has had the desired effect with the club now in the midst of a five-match unbeaten run.

Stade Toulousain’s three Heineken Cup triumphs marks them out as Europe’s most successful club team, so when star player Byron Kelleher admits they’ve altered their approach this season it’s wise for others to sit up and listen.

The French giants remain true to their attacking ethos – as witnessed by Sunday’s five-try demolition of Sale Sharks – but they’ve had a long hard think about where they came unstuck in the previous two campaigns as they lost to Munster (in the 2007/8 final) and Cardiff Blues (in the 2008/9 quarter-final).

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The latter loss was a particularly bitter pill to swallow, and prompted head coach Guy Noves to sit down with his star-studded squad and ask where it had all gone wrong.

Stade Toulousain 36 (24) Sale Sharks 17 (3)

Three-time champions Stade Toulousain turned on the style as they ran in five tries to beat a weakened Sale Sharks 36-17 in their opening Pool 5 match.

The south-west giants may have struggled to find top gear so far in the league but Stade love the challenge of Europe’s premier club competition and sent a clear message of intent about their Heineken Cup aspirations.

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Last season’s disappointing quarter-final exit to Cardiff Blues cut deep, and Guy Noves' men started with rare intent as they sought to make amends in front of a 28,534-strong crowd ready to toast their heroes.

They scored three tries during a dominant first-half and could have added a hatful more had they not stepped off the gas once they had secured the bonus point in the opening minute after the break.

French champions Perpignan slumped to a shock 9-8 defeat at Italian side Benetton Treviso in Pool 1, leaving their Heineken Cup ambitions in tatters after just one match.

The Catalans were expected to be easy winners, even tipped to collect an attacking bonus, but their slipshod handling continually undermined them in Italy.

The French side entered the game having beaten Treviso six times over the previous three season, but it proved seventh time lucky for the unfancied Italians as a heroic second-half defensive display earned them a stunning win.

France’s Top 14 may have a reduced intake in this season’s Heineken Cup but that doesn’t mean there’s reduced ambition – quite the opposite in fact. As if the lure of a showpiece final at the Stade de France wasn’t enough, there’s also the small matter of restored national and regional pride to play for.

A shocking 2008/9 campaign – with no semi-finalists for only the second time ever - resulted in an unsightly mélange of navel gazing, finger wagging and superbly Gallic shoulder shrugging, but the upshot should be a more determined performance this time around.

Tipping Stade Francais for Heineken glory would have been considered laughable a mere month ago, but four weeks later and the Paris giants go into Saturday’s home clash with Edinburgh with genuine hopes of finally lifting Europe’s premier club trophy.

Yet here we are just four games later and Stade are now up into the play-off zone courtesy of three bonus-point home wins and a highly creditable 9-9 away draw at Stade Toulousain. The feel-good factor is back, thanks to the input of new coaching duo Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron, and optimism once more abounds.

The 2009/10 Heineken Cup - or 'H-Cup' as it is called here - is just around the corner and last year’s doom and gloom has been usurped by quiet optimism in France, especially with the 15^th final due to be held at Paris’ impressive Stade de France on May 22.

Only Brive are openly stating they’re in this year’s tournament “for the experience”, but the ambitious Limousin club have a long term plan to regain the European pedigree that saw them beat Leicester Tigers 28-9 in the 1997 final before losing narrowly to Bath 19-18 in the 1998 final. Indeed, Brive remain one of just two French clubs to have won Europe’s premier club competition – along with Stade Toulousain – and are still the only Top 14 side to have beaten non-French opposition the final.