Ranking Europe's Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of January 8-10

Saracens' winning run was brought to an end on Saturday at the hands of Harlequins. The chasing pack is closing up on the English champions, but will the side's misfortune see them slip from the summit of our ranking of Europe's top 15 club rugby teams?

A number of French clubs caught up on their European Rugby Champions Cup commitments, with Toulon, Clermont Auvergne and Stade Francais all recording wins to boost their hopes of a quarter-final place. Oyonnax did not fare so well, succumbing to the comeback of the season so far against Ulster.

In the Pro12, Leinster continue their upward trajectory, as do Edinburgh, but the Scarlets remain the team to catch.

Here are your rankings for the week.

15. Edinburgh (Last Week, 15)

Edinburgh cruised into third place in the Pro12 with a 28-13 win over Treviso.

They couldn't quite squeeze a bonus-point fourth try out of the Italians, but Alan Solomons' side have now won four of their last five Pro12 fixtures.

Their improving form in the league will face a stern test in the coming weeks, however.

After rounding off their Challenge Cup campaign—they currently sit third, but just two points behind Pool 5 leaders Grenoble—they hit the road to Wales with three fixtures on the spin against Scarlets, Ospreys and Cardiff.

14. Scarlets (New Entry)

Scarlets have been woeful in the Champions Cup but continue to lead the way in the Pro12 after squeaking past Connacht 21-19.

Wayne Pivac's men have a testing few weeks ahead, however. Their abortive European campaign ends with a visit to Racing 92 on Jan 17 followed by hosting Northampton Saints.

Then, in the Pro12, they travel to Connacht to end January before facing Edinburgh home and away in February, with to a trip to Ulster sandwiched in between.

If they shake out at the end of all that still at the top of the table, they can look forward to spring with genuine play-off aspirations.

13. Ospreys (7)

Ospreys continue to thrash around in mid-table in the Pro12 after a wounding home defeat to Leinster.

It was hardly the preparation they would have wanted before hosting Clermont Auvergne in a must-win game in the Champions Cup.

Steve Tandy's men are two points behind last year's runners-up in Pool 2 and can overhaul them if they produce a winning performance.

12. Wasps (14)

Wasps were behind against Worcester from the 10th until the 78th minute of their 32-22 win in the Aviva Premiership, per the Telegraph's Rob Wildman.

Late scores from Frank Halai and Sailosi Tagicakibau hauled Dai Young's men over the finishing line, but there was worrying news for England lock Joe Launchbury, who was removed with concussion 15 minutes from time.

The victory places them sixth in the Premiership, although they also saw their lead at the head of Champions Cup Pool 5 cut after Toulon's win over Bath.

11. Toulouse (5)

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Toulouse did not see any action this weekend. They had no Champions Cup to catch up on having played their away game with Saracens on the weekend when most French sides cancelled their games after the terror attacks in Paris.

Ugo Mola's men therefore drop down a few rungs as others around them recorded wins. They resume their European campaign with a trip to Oyonnax this weekend. Neither side has a hope of progressing beyond a pool being bossed by Saracens and Ulster.

10. Stade Francais (12)

Stade followed up their Top 14 win over Toulouse with an impressive victory over Munster in the Champions Cup.

It dumped the Irishmen out of the competition and edges the Paris club four points behind Leicester Tigers in Pool 4, who still have to go to Stade Jean Bouin.

And it was achieved with 14 men for the second 40 minutes of the match after wing Josaia Raisuqe was red-carded for an eye-gouge on CJ Stander.

9. Harlequins (11)

Harlequins made everyone sit up and take notice with their first win over Saracens since 2012 and the first defeat to be foisted on the champions since May.

The 29-23 Premiership victory revolved largely around the key actions of Quins' Australian lock James Horwill, described by the Guardian's Michael Aylwin as "a genuine point of difference between this season’s Harlequins and last’s."

Horwill scored the late, clinching try for his side, but he had also earlier been yellow-carded for a swinging arm on Sarries and England lock George Kruis that inflicted concussion on the Sarries man.

Post-match debate ensued as to whether the incident was worthy of more, which would have made the game 14 vs. 14 after Saracens' Rhys Gill saw red for a dangerous tackle.

A raucous affair went Quins' way, and they have not lost since the end of November.

8. Leinster (10)

Leinster continued their strong Pro12 form with a handsome away win at the Ospreys, a fellow Champions Cup participant.

This 22-9 victory was expertly orchestrated by Ireland fly-half Jonny Sexton and sent the men in blue to the top of the table temporarily, until Scarlets reclaimed first place with a win over Connacht.

7. Ulster (9)

Ulster pulled off the win of the weekend, coming from 23-0 down to beat Oyonnax 23-24 in Pool 1 of the Champions Cup.

Having trailed 23-0 at half-time, the introduction of Ruan Pienaar, Paddy Jackson and Nick Williams from the bench in the second half helped spark the Irishmen's revival, and the win puts them back in the hunt for qualification.

They are now six points behind pool leaders Saracens, and they must travel to Allianz Park next week in a bid to beat Sarries and close the gap further.

Having done the double over Toulouse and come back from the dead to defeat Oyonnax away, Les Kiss' side will not be daunted by a trip to the English champions.

6. Leicester Tigers (6)

Leicester Tigers edged out Northampton Saints 30-27 in the east Midlands derby to bring some much-needed cheer to the Welford Road faithful after a crushing loss to Saracens a week earlier.

The narrow Premiership win perhaps should have been far easier, the Tigers having led 21-0 during the first half.

But Freddie Burns' late penalty was required after a second-half fight-back from the Saints aided by a yellow card for Leicester's Dan Cole.

Richard Cockerill's men escaped having been hauled back to 27-27 with Burns' late kick, and they were also boosted by the reappearance of Manu Tuilagi on a rugby field.

The centre emerged unscathed from half an hour's cameo, which will have pleased the watching Eddie Jones.

The win was also timely given Saracens' defeat at Harlequins, allowing Leicester to narrow the gap on the league leaders.

5. Exeter Chiefs (8)

Exeter Chiefs beat Gloucester 19-10 to maintain second place in the Premiership.

Rob Baxter's side were once again inspired by another impressive display from No. 8 Thomas Waldrom, who scored twice and gave England coach Eddie Jones plenty to think about.

Waldrom and his team-mates have gone a full year without defeat at Sandy Park, with the Cherries the last side to have recorded a win there.

This four-point haul also cut Saracens' lead at the top from six to three.

4. Clermont Auvergne (4)

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Clermont boosted their chances of progression in the Champions Cup with a Friday-night win over Bordeaux-Begles, 28-10 away from home.

They travel to Ospreys on Friday with a two-point lead over the Welshmen, with the game set to define Pool 2.

Nick Abendanon was on the scoresheet again for Les Jaunards, but they missed out on a four-try bonus point.

3. Toulon (3)

An unspectacular win for Toulon over Bath was a bit puzzling, given how poor the English side have been in recent weeks.

But a 12-9 win at home was all Bernard Laporte's men could muster in this rearranged Champions Cup clash.

The game was more entertaining than the result suggests, and it took a 76th-minute penalty from replacement Freddie Michalak to clinch it for Le Toulonnais, who have now moved just two points behind Pool 5 leaders Wasps.

2. Racing 92 (2)

Racing 92 saw off Glasgow Warriors with comfort in Paris to maintain their charge towards the knockout rounds as one of the top seeds in the Champions Cup.

And they also snatched a late fourth try to give themselves a bonus point after another cool display from World Player of the Year Dan Carter, who contributed 12 points from the boot.

It was lock Manuel Carizza who snared the try in time added on to gloss the result, but there was no doubting the gulf in class between the two sides.

Racing are beginning to look like serious contenders for the prize.

1. Saracens (1)

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Saracens have finally been beaten at the 16th time of asking.

Not since Clermont Auvergne bludgeoned their way past the Fez Boys in last season's Champions Cup semi-final have Mark McCall's men sampled defeat.

And it was handed to them by a Harlequins team in a rich vein of form but also aided by the red card shown to Sarries prop Rhys Gill.

The tight nature of the defeat and the strength of Sarries' campaign so far allows them to keep top spot in the ranking despite the defeat, but they have at least been shown to be beatable.