By Patrick
January 19 2008

Oval News Around England previews the final round of the 2007-08 Heieneken Cup. This year's competition hasn't disappointed with plenty of star performances and fantastic form, and going into the final weekend, 16 teams are still able to qualify for the quater finals.

Round six of Europe’s Premier competition, the Heineken Cup is being played out this weekend, with 16 teams still in with a possible chance to secure their places in the quarter finals. This year’s tournament is the first time in its history not a single quarter final place had been confirmed before the final round weekend.

English teams have been showing good form this year, and the results prove it, with London Irish, Gloucester, Saracens and London Wasps all topping their pools, and Bristol still in with a decent shout.

London Irish travel to the Stadio Comunale di Monigo to face Treviso in their final game, knowing that anything from a draw or more will guarantee qualification. So to Gloucester, who face struggling Ulster at Kingsholm. After their defeat at the hands of the Ospreys last week, the Cherry and Whites will be determined to put in a good performance in front of their home supporters and book a home quarter final. Saracens can enter the knock out stages for the first time in their history with a win against Glawgow away from home. The Watford-based club will want to prove their credentials having stuttered in recent weeks. Bristol welcome Cardiff Blues at the Memorial Stadium, needing a four-try win to stand a chance of making the quarter finals. ‘The Big One’ of the weekend pits two former chapions London Wasps and Munster against each other at none other than Thomand Park in what’s sure to be an epic clash. Wasps know that their excellent form in the competition will stand for nothing if they fail to reach the knock out stages, however with in-form inside centre Riki Flutey injured, as well as Paul Sackey and Joe Worsley out, it may be a tough ask for the London club. Harlequins are without a group win, and entertain Stade Francais at the Twickenham Stoop knowing that qualification is out of the question. Denying Stade the win or a four-try bonus point however may prove decisive in the outcome of the pool however. Leicester end their disappointing campaign against Leinster at Welford Road, and will be without the services of Martin Corry, Lewis Moody and Tom Croft.

Heineken Cup permutations:

London Irish: Have it fairly simple. They need to draw to guarantee qualification mathematically, to top the pool, they need a bonus point win in Treviso. Otherwise, they are at the mercy of Perpignan.

Perpignan: To top the pool, they need to get a point more than London Irish - so if Irish win in Treviso but don't get a bonus point, and the Catalans nicka bonus point win in Newport, Perpignan will top the pool. Only a win will mathematically guarantee qualification either as pool winner or runner-up.

Gloucester: A draw in the final game is enough for certain qualification, a win leaves them as pool winners.

Ospreys: A win is enough to guarantee qualification, but only if Gloucester lose can the Ospreys top the pool.

Cardiff Blues: Must beat Bristol to top the pool. A loss to Bristol without a bonus point, and where Bristol also failed to get a bonus point, and the Blues would need Stade Français to fail to win against Harlequins. A loss with a bonus point, and a failure from Stade Français to get a bonus point win against Quins, would be enough for the Blues to top the pool.

Stade Français: Must finish with more points than Bristol or Cardiff Blues, as under all the tie rules above, the Parisians lose out to both of them in the event of a tie. A bonus point win over Harlequins would set them up for a possible runners-up spot, but they would need four other results in other pools to go their way: defeats for the Ospreys, Glasgow, Munster and Clermont. Otherwise, a bonus point win has them topping the pool as long as Bristol beat Cardiff. A normal win has them topping the pool if Bristol beat Cardiff and neither get a bonus point.

Bristol: The only chance is a bonus point win over Cardiff, with Cardiff failing to get a bonus point, and Stade Français not getting a bonus point win over Harlequins. That scenario leaves them topping the pool.

Saracens: Need just a point against Glasgow to top the pool.

Glasgow: Need to beat Saracens and rely upon a defeat for either the Ospreys, London Irish, or Perpignan to finish as a best runner-up. A bonus point win over Saracens, with Saracens failing to get a bonus point, would have Glasgow topping the pool, however. The challenge has been set!

Biarritz: No chance of topping the pool, and need a bonus point win over Viadana, as well as defeats for the Ospreys, Munster and Clermont, to finish as a best runner-up. If they scored 13 tries against Viadana and Perpignan lost to the Dragons, Biarritz could also oust the Catalans from a runners-up spot as well.

Wasps: A win over Munster has them topping the pool. A bonus-point defeat will be enough for a runner-up spot as well, provided Clermont do not get a bonus-point win, and as a fail-safe, as long as two of Glasgow, Perpignan, London Irish, and the Ospreys lose. Those dropped points may come back to haunt them though: a tie on points with either Munster or Clermont and Wasps will come off second best. A tie with both, and Wasps are third and out.

Munster: Need to beat Wasps to win the pool. A bonus point in defeat will not be enough as Wasps would then be top. It's win or nothing.

Clermont: Need to beat the Scarlets with a bonus point, and hope Munster cannot beat Wasps. That ought to clear their path through as a best runner-up, as long as any two of Perpignan, the Ospreys, and Glasgow lose.

Toulouse: A win over Edinburgh has them topping the pool. If Leinster fail to beat Leicester, Toulouse top the pool anyway. A bonus point for Toulouse in defeat will be enough unless Leinster score four tries in victory against Leicester.

Leinster: Need to finish with more points than Toulouse to top the pool, so a win over Leicester and a pointless defeat for Toulouse, or a bonus point win and a bonus point defeat for Toulouse, are the only two realistic scenarios seeing the Leinstermen through. A bonus point win and defeat for the Ospreys, Munster, Clermont, Glasgow, and Stade Français has them through as the second-best runner-up though!