Road to London: Top eight revealed
The road to London and the Heineken Cup Final became clearer for eight sides at the weekend after the quarterfinal fixtures were confirmed and the draw made for the semifinals.
Edinburgh became only the second Scottish club to reach the knockout stages of the European Cup on Sunday as they beat London Irish 34-11 to not only make the last eight but also top Pool Two having claimed a bonus point.
Edinburgh’s feat matched that of their predecessors eight years ago and earned them a home tie in April against four-time winners Toulouse.
Cardiff also joined them from Pool Two after edging Racing-Metro 36-30 but fell one short of the four tries which would have given them a bonus point and top spot rather than one of the two best runners-up spots which sees them travel to holders Leinster.
Earlier Saracens had ensured there was one English club in the last eight as they came away with an unconvincing 26-20 win in Italy over Treviso.
“We’re group winners which is fantastic and is a huge step forward for Edinburgh and a talented group of players,” said Edinburgh’s coach Michael Bradley.
“We talked about our goals at the beginning of the season and they have really gone for them with some fantastic performances here in Edinburgh. Toulouse in the quarters? We will be ready for them,” added the former Irish international scrum-half.
European Cup quarterfinals:
The qualifiers and their rankings for the quarterfinals are:
1 Munster Rugby
2 Leinster Rugby
3 Edinburgh Rugby
4 Saracens
5 ASM Clermont Auvergne
6 Toulouse
7 Cardiff Blues (best pool runner-up)
8 Ulster Rugby (second best pool runner-up)
The quarterfinal matches, to be played the weekend of April 6/7/8:
(1) Munster Rugby v Ulster Rugby (8)
(2) Leinster Rugby v Cardiff Blues (7)
(3) Edinburgh Rugby v Toulouse (6)
(4) Saracens v ASM Clermont Auvergne (5)
The three European Cup Pool runners-up who have qualified for the European Challenge Cup 2011/12 quarterfinals are:
1 Biarritz Olympique (Third best Pool runner-up)
2 Harlequins (Fourth best Pool runner-up)
3 Scarlets (Fifth best Pool runner-up)
European Cup semifinals (to be played April 28/29)
The winner of the first named quarterfinal in each semifinal pairing will have home country advantage.
Semifinal One: Saracens/ASM Clermont Auvergne v Leinster/Cardiff Blues
Semifinal Two: Munster/Ulster v Edinburgh/Toulouse
