Power Ranking Europe's Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of October 24-26

Away wins abounded in Round 2 of the Champions Cup, with six of the 10 games claimed by the teams on their travels.

Toulon, Toulouse, Glasgow, Harlequins, Leinster and Racing Metro all prospered away from home and would no doubt prefer to build on those successes than have to switch focus.

But having just got warmed up, the competition makes way for domestic fixtures this weekend before the autumn international programme gets well and truly up and running.

Let’s see how they stand after two weeks of battle.

15. Bath (Premiership)

Bath find themselves bottom of Pool 4 and staring elimination in the face after two defeats from two in the Champions Cup.

Mike Ford’s men can point to mitigating circumstances, such as the decimation of their back row through injury. But even then their pack gave Toulouse’s stars a rough ride at scrum time.

But class told eventually, as well it might when unknowns Dom Day, Dave Sisi and Charlie Ewels take on the quality and experience of Thierry Dusuatoir, Imanol Harinordoquy and Louis Picamoles.

A late try salvaged Bath a losing bonus point at least, but progress from this pool now looks beyond them with two trips to France still to come.

14. Ulster (PRO12)

Neil Doak’s first European campaign as Ulster boss is looking destined for an early end after a second consecutive defeat.

Toulon had too much in every department for last year’s quarter-finalists.

The Belfast Telegraph’s Michael Sadlier pointed to three big names—Ruan Pienaar, Dan Tuohy and Stephen Ferris—the Red Hand Gang are having to cope without at present, one of them on a permanent basis in the case of the retired Ferris:

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Pienaar and Tuohy will return, the next European outing against the Scarlets at home might mark their comebacks as Ulster's flimsy qualification hopes require wins from now on, but to see them populating the stand while the mighty Toulon came, saw and conquered told its own tale of how Ulster really needed their full complement available when things ramp up at Champions Cup time.

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13. Montpellier (Top 14)

Montpellier were undone by a questionable penalty that gifted Glasgow a 15-13 victory at the Altrad Stadium and condemned them to a second straight European defeat.

After going down to a reborn Toulouse in Round 1, Fabien Galthie’s men needed to jump-start their campaign with a bonus point win at home to the Scots but instead were left with the consolation of a losing bonus thanks to a late scrum that splintered the visiting pack and sent the referee under the posts.

The official had been less charitable to the home side in the award of a penalty for a deliberate knock–on that was hard on the Montpellier player, who seemed to be genuinely grasping for the ball rather than batting it down.

12. Leicester (Premiership)

The Tigers slip two places after a 15-3 defeat at Scarlets, for which they have two costly errors to blame.

Miles Benjamin was the first culprit when he dropped the ball under hardly any pressure, with Harry Robinson pouncing to score.

Then skipper Ben Youngs gifted an interception to Aled Davies to seal Leicester’s fate. With back-to-back contests against the champions next, Richard Cockerill will hope for better concentration from his players and for a few more of them to have risen from the treatment table by then.

11. Ospreys (PRO 12)

Steve Tandy’s side tasted defeat for the first time this season. Not so much tasted as had it rammed down their throats by Northampton.

George North’s quartet of tries sank the Welsh region, who will need to recover their composure before the pool resumes with a trip to Racing Metro.

Hopes of a win in Paris will not be particularly high, given this was their 15th straight loss on the road in European competition, per Andy Howell at Walesonline.co.uk.

Howell added:

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This was easily the biggest test the Ospreys had faced this season and the fact remains – despite their phenomenally successful start to the campaign – that they are in the early stages of a major rebuilding programme.

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10. Glasgow (PRO 12)

Gregor Townsend and his merry men roll on. They may have ridden their luck at times down in Montpellier, but on the whole they were good value for a victory that puts them in a healthy position in Pool 4.

The cool head of young fly–half Finn Russell was a major plus, as the 22-year-old kicked four penalties to complement Stuart Hogg’s effort in this 15-11 win.

You still get the feeling that a big fish will swallow them up when it comes to crunch time, which may well arrive with the prospect of a back-to-back set of fixtures with Toulouse.

9. Racing Metro (Top 14)

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Racing Metro got the job done without any frills against Treviso and therefore missed the chance for a bonus point, which could prove their undoing.

They top their pool and will fancy their chances at home to the Ospreys next after seeing them wilt so quickly away to Northampton, but it's the return at Franklin's Gardens that this pool will hinge on.

Laurent Labit’s side may not look too pretty in their style of play, but they are proving mightily effective and have Europe’s best No. 10 at the helm, which helps enormously.

8. Harlequins (Premiership)

Quins lead the way on points difference in Pool 2 after a second win in two games.

Their 23-16 victory over Wasps featured a rousing display from lock Charlie Matthews, and they will need more of the same from the young man when they next face Leinster.

Conor O’Shea’s men are finding their feet at last in this season, and it will not go unnoticed that without captain Joe Marler, their scrum went on the rampage and former skipper Chris Robshaw shone once more as the team’s leader.

A reshuffle could be staring O’Shea in the face.

7. Clermont Auvergne (Top 14)

Clermont recorded a convincing 35-3 win over Sale at Stade de Marcel Michelin.

Napolioni Nalaga helped himself to two tries and Camille Lopez looked impressive pulling the strings from No. 10.

Beating a middling team from the Premiership at home is not a real test of their title-winning credentials this season, however, and we will see how good they really are when Munster come to town in the next round.

6. Leinster (PRO12)

A hard-nosed display down in Castres delivered a 21-16 win for Leinster.

All their points came from the boot of Ian Madigan, who is fast cementing himself as the man to depose from the No. 12 jersey for Ireland.

He should make for a potent creative combination for Jonny Sexton in the fly-half slot.

Leinster aren’t pulling up many trees so far, but they are coping with a savage injury list and lead the way in their section, with a double header against Harlequins to come.

5. Northampton (Premiership)

The Saints buried memories of their infuriating defeat at Racing Metro by swatting the Ospreys at home.

George North plundered four tries and the Saints’ forwards dominated their opponents from start to finish.

Jim Mallinder will be hoping the international window is kind to his key men in order for them to return and reassert themselves in Pool 5.

4. Saracens (Premiership)

Sarries take a tumble after a disappointing night’s work at Thomond Park that ended with a 14-3 defeat.

Having narrowly overcome Clermont Auvergne, this was always going to be a tougher test but not one the Englishmen couldn’t pass.

This defeat represents a backward step for Mark McCall’s men, but it is still one they can recover from.

It amps up the pressure on their double-header with Sale in the coming two rounds.

3. Munster (PRO12)

Munster took advantage of a yellow card for Saracens' Rhys Gill to nab a try and secure victory against last year’s finalists.

This was a gritty victory, the type of which has always provided the bedrock for Munster to go a long way in this competition.

If they continue to make themselves this hard to beat at home, they will put down the roots of another long-lasting campaign.

2. Toulouse (Top 14)

Toulouse are looking ominously good after their 21-19 win at Bath.

They got a bit of treatment from Bath’s heavy mob but showed they can negate being overpowered up front with wit and width from their classy roster of talent.

Imanol Harinordoquy is revelling in their back row, and they had a try from him plus one each from Maxime Medard and the record-holding Vincent Clerc to thank for a win that puts them in the box seat in Pool 4.

1. Toulon (Top 14)

Toulon remain atop the standings with a powerful, competent win at Ravenhill.

Ulster’s home patch has proved a graveyard for Europe’s leading lights in seasons past, but Bernard Laporte’s men were never under threat of joining that list of casualties once Delon Armitage galloped clear for an interception try.

His brother Steffon put in another man-of-the-match shift that suggest any World Cup matches he plays in next year will be for France, not England.