Ranking Europe's Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of January 1-3

There seems to be no way around, over, under or through Saracens.

If Eddie Jones' first England squad doesn't have a thick black-and-red streak running through it, we will eat Maro Itoje's head guard. The young back-rower must be on the verge of a Six Nations debut.

The Fez Boys continued their winning streak at the weekend to maintain their iron grip on the lead of the Premiership and, by extension, this power ranking.

Like a stubborn fairy atop a Christmas tree that has outstayed its welcome, they show no signs of coming down any time soon.

Behind them, the best French sides continue to cut each other's throats on a regular basis. This time around, it was the turn of Stade Francais to undo Toulouse while Racing 92 took advantage with a win over Bordeaux-Begles.

In the Pro12, Edinburgh made progress with a double over Glasgow Warriors while Leinster continued their recent upward trajectory to soothe the pain from their early European exit.

A mixed bag of European catch-ups and domestic dust-ups awaits, with the pick of the lot a clash between the rising Harlequins and the English champions.

Can the multicoloured men stop the Sarries' march?

15. Edinburgh (New Entry)

Edinburgh completed a festive double over Glasgow to rise to fourth in the Pro12 table.

In Europe, Scotland's capital club are tied on 12 points with the second-placed London Irish in their Challenge Cup pool and just two adrift of leaders Grenoble, so there is plenty to be optimistic about as they enter 2016.

A home fixture on Friday against Treviso presents them with a big opportunity to make it three wins on the bounce and achieve a bonus point into the bargain.

14. Wasps (12)

Wasps slumped to a 15-9 defeat to the Sale Sharks on Saturday, their third straight defeat in the league.

That has put the brakes on their charge up the table, and they are now entrenched in the bottom half.

They can get back on the horse at home to the Worcester Warriors on Sunday, while their Champions Cup campaign is still in good shape.

That picture will change a little, though, with rivals Bath and Toulon playing their rearranged fixture.

If Toulon win as expected, they can make inroads into the current six-point lead Dai Young's men have at the head of Pool 5.

13. Bordeaux-Begles (10)

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Bordeaux lost to Racing Metro and lost ground on the top four with Toulon and Clermont Auvergne both winning at the weekend.

Raphael Ibanez's men have an all-French Champions Cup clash to contend with on Friday against Clermont.

They are bottom of their pool and are four points behind Les Jaunards.

They are at home to last season's runners-up, however, and with Clermont's propensity for being awful on their travels, Bordeaux may fancy their chances of an upset that could haul them back into the mix for qualification.

12. Stade Francais (14)

Stade Francais edged out Toulouse 18-17 in Paris last time out but the champions still languish in 11th in the Top 14 table.

They can take a bite out of the Leicester Tigers' lead in their Champions Cup pool on Saturday if they beat Munster at home in their game in hand.

The gap between the East Midlanders and Stade is eight points, so they will be gunning for a maximum against the Irish side to set up a winner-takes-all clash with Richard Cockerill's men in the last round of pool play.

11. Harlequins (13)

Harlequins are performing well domestically, and their recent win over Worcester boosted them to third in the Premiership.

They face this season's litmus test next with Saturday's clash against Saracens, who will examine every sinew of their forward pack, along with every other facet of their game plan.

Conor O'Shea's men are sailing through their Challenge Cup group and will be favourites to go all the way in that tournament.

10. Leinster (11)

Leinster beat Connacht 13-0 on New Year's Day to move into second place with a game in hand over the Scarlets, who lead the way in the Pro12.

A tough trip to face the Ospreys on Friday will hand them a test of their improving form, but it's going to be hard for them to climb into the upper reaches of this ranking with their Champions Cup campaign already dead in the water.

9. Ulster (7)

Ulster were edged out by Munster in an all-Irish Pro12 derby last time out, and they are now level on points with the Limerick men and Edinburgh in a three-way jostle outside the playoff places.

European hopes are burning bright after their double over Toulouse, however, which now looks all the more impressive for the way Toulouse destroyed Toulon in the previous round of Top 14 fixtures.

8. Exeter Chiefs (7)

The Exeter Chiefs got the raw end of a stinker against the Northampton Saints, who beat them 8-3 in a game best forgotten for Rob Baxter's men.

They remain in second place in the Premiership, and with Saracens and Harlequins playing each other this time around, they can put some points into one or both with victory over Gloucester, who visit Sandy Park on Saturday.

7. Ospreys (9)

Ospreys grinded out a 12-7 win over the Newport Gwent Dragons on New Year's Day to narrow the gap on Ulster above them.

It was an ugly win for Steve Tandy's men, but it kept them within striking distance of the playoff places.

On Friday, they face Leinster, who have had a poor campaign in Europe but have begun to get their Pro12 house in order.

This is a side the Ospreys must beat if they have designs on end-of-season silverware.

6. Leicester Tigers (2)

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Leicester Tigers took a tumble down the rankings after a defeat to Saracens that was depressing on a number of fronts.

Losing ground on the leaders was the least of Richard Cockerill's woes given the fact he saw a Tigers scrum crumple to give away three penalty tries and that he has also lost lock Ed Slater.

Slater damaged knee ligaments during Saturday's defeat, per BBC Sport, and he faces two months out.

It's not the best buildup to a clash with local rivals Northampton, whom they face at home on Saturday. 

5. Toulouse (4)

Toulouse could not follow up their handsome win over Toulon with another big-name scalp, falling to Stade Francais 18-17 on Sunday.

They remain second on points difference, with Racing and Clermont sandwiching Ugo Mola's side each team on 38 points.

They will kick their heels this weekend while those with games to catch up on in Europe do battle.

The Champions Cup has gone badly for them so far, with two defeats to Ulster and one to Saracens effectively ending their chances of progression.

4. Clermont Auvergne (6)

Clermont overcame the disappointment of defeat at home to Racing to beat bottom side Agen 33-16 on Saturday.

They are locked on 38 points alongside Racing and Toulouse in what is shaping up to be a fantastic tussle for the Top 14 title this season.

As for their European ambitions, that longed-for title will not come their way if they can't get past Bordeaux-Begles in another away fixture on Friday.

3. Toulon (5)

Toulon recovered from a hammering against Toulouse to narrowly beat Pau 21-17 in their most recent fixture.

The win moved them back into the top four in the Top 14 and restored a little confidence before the visit of Bath in the Champions Cup on Sunday.

The English side have been enduring a nightmare time of it, and Toulon are likely to take full advantage to put themselves within striking distance of Wasps in their pool.

2. Racing 92 (3)

Racing followed up their stunning win away to Clermont Auvergne with victory over fellow Champions Cup participants Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday.

Dan Carter’s trusty boot delivered 13 points in that narrow 23-18 win, and the Parisians lead the Top 14 on points difference.

Racing await Glasgow in their rearranged Champions Cup clash in a home fixture that could give them firm control of their pool.

1. Saracens (1)

Saracens pummeled Leicester on Saturday to stretch their winning run to 14 games. They have won every match they have played since May 2015, per the Guardian.

Unstoppable this season? It would seem that way in the Aviva Premiership at least.

Leicester, whose fabled scrum was the bedrock of so much of their success in the 1990s and 2000s, coughed up three penalty tries to the Sarries, a record in the league.

And young Sarries lock George Kruis was credited as the inspiration behind his side’s monstrous forward effort, with boss Mark McCall declaring the second row as a “dead cert” for England, per ESPN.

The same could be said about this Saracens team and a second consecutive Premiership title.