Ranking Europe's Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of December 26-27

The last round of 2015 action saw some significant results in heavyweight clashes in France, while Saracens ploughed on in England.

Ospreys downed Pro12 leaders Scarlets in dramatic fashion, and Leinster showed a bit more of their old cut-and-thrust with a fine win over rivals Munster.

So there is no change at the top this week, but plenty of big names suffer drops lower down the rankings as the big guns in France bloody each other's noses.

15. Glasgow (Last Week 10)

Glasgow continue to thrash around in mid-table in the Pro 12 after defeat to Edinburgh.

Gregor Townsend's men have fund no consistency in the league this season, although their Champions Cup group remains wide-open, with the Pro12 champions still to play Racing 92 twice and just three points off the pool leaders.

14. Stade Francais (8)

Stade fall from eighth last week after the French champions slumped to 12th in the Top 14 table.

Oyonnax beat them 25-12 to hand them their seventh defeat in 11 games this season in a campaign bearing similarities to the fall from grace being experienced by Chelsea FC in the round ball game.

They are not out of the argument as far as Europe is concerned, but they need to do the double over Munster to close the gap on pool leaders Leicester, who still have to visit Stade Jean-Bouin.

13. Harlequins (13)

Quins played out a thriller at Twickenham to share the spoils in a 39-39 draw with Gloucester.

They found themselves 10 points down with as many minutes left before Nick Evans converted Ross Chisolm's try.

And the New Zealander could have snatched it had his drop goal attempt been on target as the clock ticked down.

They remain 13th, maintaining fourth spot in the Premiership after securing three points for the draw and four tries, and they have widened the gap between themselves and Northampton after the Saints fell to London Irish.

12. Wasps (6)

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Wasps drop down the rankings after a defeat to Saracens that leaves them nine points off the playoff places.

Dai Young's men have played some entertaining rugby this season and claimed some big scalps in the shape of Toulon, Leinster and Bath.

But they had no answer to the suffocating style Saracens imposed on them and perhaps showed they are still short of the smarts to tighten up and play it safe when the game requires it.

They may receive a boost in the coming days if Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny opts to make them his next destination should he decide to quite Toulon, per the Guardian.

11. Leinster (New Entry)

Leinster looked impressive in a 24-7 demolition of Munster at Thomond Park that puts them third in the Pro12 table with a game in hand over the teams above them.

Young Leinster centre Garry Ringrose won plenty of plaudits for his performance, per the Irish Independent, and may well be in contention for a place in the next Irish squad.

For the Dubliners, a nightmare campaign in the Champions Cup can be somewhat alleviated if they can climb to the top of the Pro12 table.

10. Bordeaux-Begles (14)

Bordeaux beat Grenoble 25-19 to move level on points with Toulon and just two points off second-and third-placed Clermont and Racing 92.

Raphael Ibanez's men are going well in the league, and with no hope of qualifying from their European Cup pool, it is likely an assault on the Top 14 playoff places will be their priority.

9. Ospreys (11)

Ospreys claimed the scalp of the Pro12 leaders Scarlets with a thrilling 27-26 win.

Mark Orders of the South Wales Evening Post heralded a captain's performance from Alun-Wyn Jones as the driving force behind the Ospreys' comeback from 20-13 down, and the win moves Steve Tandy's side to eighth in the table and within striking distance of Glasgow and Munster above them.

8. Exeter (12)

Exeter shook off their heavy loss to Clermont Auvergne with a bonus-point win over Sale Sharks to maintain their second place in the Premiership.

The Chiefs lost only once at Sandy Park during 2015, and so it was hardly surprising to see them pull away late in this contest as Sale's manful defensive efforts were finally broken.

Exeter keep the chase up on Saracens, and they may still qualify out of their Champions Cup pool if they can go to the Ospreys and get a result.

7. Ulster (5)

The big results further up this rank mean Ulster's 10-3 win over Connacht isn't enough to stop them slipping two places this week.

Some awful handling in Galway made this a game notable more for the tries bombed than those scored, but the West of Ireland has claimed plenty of victims in its often-foul conditions, and Les Kiss' side did well not to join them.

They now sit fourth, four points of the top-placed Scarlets in the Pro12.

6. Clermont Auvergne (4)

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A second defeat at home to fellow contenders for the title will not have made for a happy Christmas in Clermont.

Franck Azema's team lost top billing in the Top 14 with this 20-16 reverse to Racing 92, whom they now find themselves level on points with.

They hit the road next time out when they go to lowly Agen.

Clermont can often slip up on their travels, but the bottom club have lost nine of their 11 games so far this season and should have nowhere near enough to trouble Les Jaunards.

5. Toulon (2)

Toulon slip from second to fifth in this ranking and fourth in their own league following a 31-8 defeat away to Toulouse.

Bernard Laporte's side have had few days like this since they have been dominating Europe, but this will serve as a stark reminder that their galaxy of stars needs to do more than simply turn up to beat teams of lesser standing.

4. Toulouse (9)

Toulouse surge back up the ranking with a surprisingly heavy defeat of European champions Toulon.

Their bonus-point 31-8 win puts them three points clear at the top of the Top 14, and it all started with a horror moment from the New Zealand World Cup winner in Toulon's midfield: Ma'a Nonu.

The centre threw an interception for Gael Fickou to gobble up and open the scoring, per Planet Rugby.

Maxime Medard, Yacoub Camara and a penalty try heaped on the points for Ugo Mola's men, who put the despair of back-to-back defeats to Ulster behind them with this display.

It would be no surprise to see them field well-below-strength teams in the rest of their European games now that they find themselves in the driving seat of domestic matters.

3. Racing 92 (7)

Racing 92 made a huge statement about their silverware ambitions this season with a 20-16 win away to Clermont Auvergne.

They traded blows through penalty goals until half-time and then surged into a 20-9 lead in the second half, before Les Jaunards battled back to make a grandstand finish.

It was a stiff test for the Parisians' defence, per Planet Rugby, and one they withstood to go level on points with the men from the Massif Central.

2. Leicester (3)

Leicester take second place in the ranking away from Toulon after defeating Newcastle 22-10 at Welford Road.

Only three tries against the bottom club—and being held 10-10 at the break—does not smack of the sort of form that will trouble league leaders Saracens next week, but winning ugly has put plenty of food on the Tigers' table over the years.

Richard Cockerill's men were thwarted by a combination of their own mistakes and robust Falcons defence, according to the Guardian's Rob Wildman.

But they can also look forward to the long-awaited return of Manu Tuilagi in the coming weeks, as well as the introduction of South African Jean de Villiers.

That's not a bad midfield to throw into the mix halfway through a season.

1. Saracens (1)

Saracens swatted away the challenge of Wasps to remain the only side in Europe's top leagues with a 100 per cent record in all competitions.

Mark McCall's men beat the Coventry side 26-16 with a display of power and precision that left their opponents' director of rugby Dai Young beaten, but far from impressed, per the Guardian:

"

It is a really boring way to play rugby. It is not for me, but it works for them. They kick accurately and chase aggressively, not giving you time. They were better than us and you have to take your hat off to them.

"

The "boring" tag is not one Saracens will find unfamiliar, but they will care not a jot about it as they preside over the rest of the league wondering what it will take to knock them off their perch this season.

Leicester will be the next to try.