Quarter finals for the ECC.

[Tomvarndell]

Touloun's luck is scaring me. Got out of jail last week now get an away quarter but in France and get the lunacy of a home semi if they sneak through. Magic.

[rdracup]

Agree. Toulon are lucky and could be a very different proposition in April. Just clarify it is home Country semi they get, not a home, if they win, maybe Paris though that would smack of taking English supporters into account and EPRC won't do that

[Cagey Tiger]

I tried looking at the various possibilities and it made my head swim (nothing to do with the red wine I have drunk tonight ). I'm sure those nice Sunday papers will have had someone working on it overnight and tell us the options tomorrow morning .

Its quite simple Cagey T
We will be at home in the quarter finals against the 7th placed team. If we win the quarter-final there are 2 possibilities dependent on the match between 3rd and 6th (Racing and Toulon)
1) If Racing win then we are in our home country against them.
2) If Toulon win then we will be away in France
Simples

Ah, that's the easy bit, but only part of the story. Also, is it true? Can we beat Sarries to top seed if we thrash Stade, extremely unlikely I know but who had Racing to lose to Glasgow and no LBP? And, who will be the 7th and 8th teams? And 4th and 5th? It was trying to work out those combinations that were puzzling me. I like to work out the full picture, unfortunately the Sunday Times seem to think it wasn't worth the effort and just opted to work out who might qualify, but not their seeding.

[Northenlad]

Unless I have it completely wrong are we not second regardless of what happens today and therefore get both a home quarter and semi-final, assuming we win the quarter?

[Cagey Tiger]

Unless I have it completely wrong are we not second regardless of what happens today and therefore get both a home quarter and semi-final, assuming we win the quarter?

Wrong on both counts, I'm afraid

In the highly unlikely event of us beating Stade by 39 clear points (I believe) we will be top seeds. Also, if the away team in the quarter final paired with ours wins, they get home country for the semi.

[MrPartridge]

Can we please stop this madness talk about Tigers overhauling Saracens as top seeds! I will conceded today's game should be a belter because SF will have to assume they need 5 points to qualify (which if they get will see them in as 7th or 8th seeds by my calculations). Should make for a really open high scoring game especially if the weather is decent.

As for Toulon being lucky I half agree with that but you have to wonder how Wasps can top the group when they won 4 games but Toulon won 5! (That doesn't seem quite right to me). Nevertheless, Toulon now get the prospect of 3 games in France to retain the cup although again is away to Racing all that much good fortune for them? Time will tell!

[Soggypitch]

Racing with Carter at the helm will beat Toulon in the quarters.
Clermont will win today, almost certainly with a BP and I can see Exeter losing to Ospreys as it matters so much more to Ospreys and Exeter have a few key injuries.

So all that will mean that Saints drop out - shame
Having said that it would be great to play them at home in the quarters, but just can't see that happening.

I was confident about today's game, but with SF needing to win, ideally with a BP and us effectively having nothing to play for, I can now see a SF win.

Hope I'm wrong and we really give it a go, but the mind set will inevitably have an effect, IMO anyway.

[Stu_F]

In 2005 we were 8th seeds, Leinster were top seeds so when we beat them (a excellent day from the snippets I remember) we adopted their "home" semi and we're able to play it at Walkers.

But when it works against us we whinge!

[Maidman]

Good to see Racing get beaten yesterday, good to know that it can be done. Looking at their team though, they were without Carter so I don't know if they put out a weakened side? If we should end up playing them in the semi finals it gives me some hope.

Good also to see that we have three English teams qualified with the possibility of one more. I'd like to think that it is because the English game has picked up, but I wonder if it isn't because the Irish and French have dropped off a bit. In any case, looks like our best opportunity for some years to lift the trophy.

[Cagey Tiger]

Can we please stop this madness talk about Tigers overhauling Saracens as top seeds!

It was not "madness talk", just a statement of fact that it was mathematically possible. I gave my personal view by saying it was "highly unlikely".

[Maidman]

Sarries v Saints
Tigers v Stade
Racing v Toulon
Wasps v Exeter

There will be at least on English team in the final!

Way to go Exeter!

[Grimlish]

Someone help with my maths - have Exeter done it against all odds?

[Isambard]

and who would have placed Exeter as top of their pool?

[Maidman]

Someone help with my maths - have Exeter done it against all odds?

Yes! Incredible. 5 English teams in the quarter finals! Exeter will play Wasps at the Ricoh, with the winner to play Sarries or Saints in the Semi!

[Flying Tiger]

Someone help with my maths - have Exeter done it against all odds?

Yes! Incredible. 5 English teams in the quarter finals! Exeter will play Wasps at the Ricoh, with the winner to play Sarries or Saints in the Semi!

If these matchups are true, and we get past Stade in QF, we will have a very difficult SF. Don't like the proposition of playing Toulon or Racing.