Power Ranking Europe's Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of January 16-18

The shootout in Europe is upon us.

This week’s top clubs on the continent jostled for position in their Champions Cup pools before the final round of matches next week to decided the eight quarter-finalists.

And it left us with some mouthwatering prospects to enjoy.

Toulon are the only team guaranteed a place in the knockout stages, with every other group needing a final day showdown to settle the order of things.

Wasps went to Harlequins and stunned the Stoop with a smash-and-grab win, Bath stormed Stade Ernest-Wallon to catapult themselves into contention and Leicester have not given up the ghost either.

Saracens won but have been left needing something from their visit to Clermont Auvergne next week, while Northampton also face a French test with Racing Metro due in the east Midlands to duke it out for top spot in Pool 5.

On top of all the permutations that can unfold to give us our final eight, the added carrot of Six Nations selection was hanging over the players at the weekend with national squads announced this week.

It made for a fascinating weekend’s entertainment.

This week’s ranking reflects the Champions Cup standings after the fifth round of games, with sides in the Challenge Cup only in with a shout of featuring here if they are doing well in their domestic league.

15. Exeter (Premiership)

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Exeter sealed a fine win away to Connacht to secure progression to the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup.

They did it the hard way, overturning a 17-10 half-time deficit to beat the Irishmen and take control of the pool.

Combined with fifth place in the Premiership, the Chiefs earn a ranking here as they look to press on with the second half of their season.

14. Leicester (Premiership)

A thumping win over Scarlets brought five points and the retention of hope for the Tigers.

With a runners-up spot their only chance in a group that Toulon already have in the bag, a bonus point win in Ulster is all that will suffice for Richard Cockerill’s men if they are to have a chance of qualification.

Recent history for the east Midlanders in Belfast does not make for pretty reading, but form and confidence is on the Tigers' side.

13. Munster (Pro 12)

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Munster’s corpse was barely twitching before their trip to Allianz Park, but all signs of life in the Champions Cup were well and truly extinguished by a 33-10 loss to Saracens.

It has been a season to forget so far for Anthony Foley’s troops, who must focus on a play-off spot in the Pro 12.

12. Ospreys (Pro 12)

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It was all but over for the Ospreys before their clash with Northampton on Sunday, and a 20-9 defeat merely confirmed their exit from this year’s Champions Cup.

Steve Tandy’s focus will now be firmly on retaining top spot in the Pro 12.

11. Harlequins (Premiership)

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Harlequins will look at Wasps' tackling numbers for this contest and wonder how they failed to win.

The Coventry-based side put in a mountain of tackles on Conor O’Shea’s men, which somehow equated to a 23-3 victory despite the home side’s domination of possession.

Quins were taught a lesson on how to play—and win­­—without the ball by Wasps.

They can still reach the knockout stages with the right result between Wasps and Leinster next weekend as long as they do a five-point job over hapless Castres.

10. Glasgow (Pro 12)

A hat-trick for D.T.H. van der Merwe would have felt sweeter still had one of his 14 team-mates managed to cross the whitewash as well.

Glasgow’s 21-10 win over Montpellier keeps Gregor Townsend’s men alive ahead of their journey to Bath next week, but a bonus point for their efforts would have painted a better picture.

As it stands, a bonus point win over the big spenders from the West Country is all they can aim for if they are to have a glimmer of the knockout stages.

9. Toulouse (Top 14)

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A comprehensive defeat to Bath at home means Toulouse may need something from their final fixture at Montpellier to ensure safe passage.

Guy Noves’ men were ripped apart by a rampant Bath back line, so you sense they will seek to suffocate Montpellier and snuff out the risk of that happening to them again.

The men from the Pink City should still top this group.

8. Racing Metro (Top 14)

Racing predictably thumped Treviso to set up their decisive clash with Northampton next week.

A losing bonus point may well be enough for either side, both currently on 19, to sneak through as one of the three pool runners-up, but you sense Racing will fancy more than that.

They frustrated the Saints in Paris in round one to claim a scrappy win and have been grinding wins out at home in similar fashion of late.

7. Wasps (Premiership)

Wasps have come to the boil nicely.

A stop-start first stanza of the season has given way to a series of high-octane performances that have rocketed Dai Young’s team into play-off contention at home and now one game from the knockout stages of the Champions Cup.

This is a team who lost their first two games in this pool and now stand on the brink of going through to a phase they haven’t visited since they won Europe’s biggest prize in 2007.

6. Saracens (Premiership)

Saracens put Munster to the Sword at Allianz Park with a brace from Chris Ashton and another try from Chris Wyles. You could sense their desperation for a fourth score late in the game, however.

Their failure to get it left the bonus point unclinched and could leave Sarries needing something from their trip to Clermont next week.

There was much praise for the performance of Billy Vunipola after the game. The England No. 8 made a series of damaging burst through Munster players and looks near back to his best form.

5. Leinster (Pro 12)

Leinster annihilated Castres 50-8 to set up a decisive encounter at the Ricoh Arena next week against Wasps.

Seven tries scored by seven different players will have pleased coach Matt O’Connor, as will the creativity of his centre pairing of Ian Madigan and Luke Fitzgerald.

Injuries and retirement have forced a supporting cast to take centre stage for Leinster this season, but the Irish Independent’s David Kelly was impressed:

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With a key swathe of their players either in casualty - the unregistered Sean O'Brien and Cian Healy will again play no part next week - or deemed surplus to first XV requirements, in the guise of 145 international caps (Gordon D'Arcy, Mike Ross and Isaac Boss), there was also a sense of a team disrobing itself of the horrible 'transition' tag.

The excessive mourning for retired or absent players seemed to have lingered too long amongst those who remained.

Now, energised by the youthful vigour of such as Jack Conan, Luke McGrath and Tadhg Furlong, embellished by familiar fully fit faces like Luke Fitzgerald, Fergus McFadden and Dave Kearney, Leinster unfurled a different sense of themselves.

"

4. Northampton (Premiership)

A trip to a dangerous Ospreys outfit looked tricky on paper for the Saints, but Jim Mallinder’s men handled business down in Swansea.

Their superior forward power laid the foundation for a solid 20-9 win, with George North once again finding his way to the try line against his countrymen.

It all comes down to a rare old tear-up with Racing Metro next week to find this pool’s winner. Home advantage surely favours the English champions.

3. Bath (Premiership)

Bath leapfrog Northampton this week for a mightily impressive away win over powerhouses Toulouse which we view as a far greater feat than the slightly drab nature of the Saints win in Ospreys country. Bath were mesmerising at times as they stormed to a 35-18 win.

Centres Jonathan Joseph and Kyle Eastmond could not have done their England credentials any more good if they’d popped round Stuart Lancaster’s house and made him Sunday lunch.

Bath’s pack also held up well against the monstrous Toulousain forwards.

There is a great sense of momentum with Mike Ford's team at present. They must beat Glasgow next week with a bonus point to insert themselves at least into the fight for a best runner-up spot in the last eight.

Should Toulouse trip up at Montpellier, the men from the Rec can steal the group.

2. Toulon (Top 14)

Toulon assured their qualification with a demolition of Ulster at Stade Felix Mayol.

Steffon Armitage heaped more weight behind the campaign for his England recall with a hat-trick that, frankly, Stefan Edberg could have scored given the ease with which he was handed his scoring chances.

But his team looked impressive nonetheless, with props and hookers weaving patterns in midfield to create tries for fun. Good luck to the team travelling south to play this lot next.

1. Clermont Auvergne (Top 14)

Clermont have been known to crumble when crossing the channel but held it together against a spirited Sale side in Manchester.

The pressure was firmly on Les Jaunards following Saracens' win over Munster earlier in the day, and they held off a dogged challenge from Steve Diamond’s men to stay in command of Pool 1 by a single point, thankful that Sarries couldn’t muster a fourth try for a bonus against Munster.

The French league leaders would have to be favourites to win the section with home advantage next weekend when the Fez Heads arrive, but this could be a European classic.