The latest standings in the Heineken Cup...
POOL 1
Standings: Biarritz Olympique 14, Leicester Tigers 13, London Wasps 10, Rugby Calvisano 0.
This group was nicknamed the "Pool of Death" the moment the names came out of the hat - and so it is proving.
Leicester Tiger's thrilling double over champions London Wasps gives the Tigers a royal chance of topping the Pool - and perhaps going on to become the first three-time winners of the Heineken Cup.
Martin Johnson's men have a home game against a star-studded Biarritz Olympique side and an away match against struggling Rugby Calvisano in the final two rounds. Two victories will guarantee them the No 1 spot in the Pool.
Biarritz have a tough finish to their campaign - away to the Tigers and home to Wasps - but a win over the defending champions will give them a good chance of qualifying as one of the best runners-up.
Of course, if Biarritz beat the Tigers but lose to Wasps, all three teams can finish on 18 or 19 points - and then it becomes a job for the ERC calculators.
Rugby Calvisano are out of contention after four losses.
POOL 2
Standings: Leinster 17, Bath Rugby 10, Benetton Treviso 9, Bourgoin 1.
Declan Kidney's Leinster side seem to have this Pool wrapped up, as they need only one win in their final two matches to guarantee top spot. Bath Rugby and Benetton Treviso both need to finish with two victories to be in with a shout, with the English club facing Leinster at home and Bourgoin away.
Leinster's 25-9 away win over Treviso indicates the Irish side should be too good for the Italians at Lansdowne Road in the final match, so all eyes are on their Round 5 match at the Recreation Ground. A win for Leinster - one of only two sides who have four wins out of four so far - could see them finishing on 25 or 26 points - possibly enough for the No 1 spot in the quarter-final rankings.
Bourgoin fought well against Leinster at the weekend, but their four losses have knocked them out of the running.
POOL 3
Standings: Toulouse 14, Northampton Saints 12, Llanelli Scarlets 11, Glasgow Rugby 2.
Last season's Cup runners-up, Toulouse, have the Saints looking over their shoulders, but are still favourites to head the group after Round 6.
The French heavyweights finish with games against Glasgow Rugby (away) and the Llanelli Scarlets (home). Two wins with at least one bonus point would guarantee them a berth in the quarter-finals, while Northampton and the Scarlets both need two wins and a stumble from Toulouse.
The Scarlets have an impressive record of making five quarter-finals in the past six seasons, but will have to gain a rare win in France to stay in contention.
The Saints are having a horrible Zurich Premiership campaign, but they know a win at Stradey Park in Round 5 gives them a shout of either topping the Pool or finishing as one of the tournament's two best runners-up.
Glasgow Rugby are out of contention.
POOL 4
Standings: Munster 14, Castres Olympique 11, Neath-Swansea Ospreys 10, NEC Harlequins 3.
Munster's win over Castres Olympique at Thomond Park gives the Irishmen pole position in the race to top Pool 4. Munster have a home game against a talented Neath-Swansea Ospreys side next up, followed by a trip to Twickenham to face NEC Harlequins - who are out of the running for a quarter-final berth.
Castres need two victories over those sides to move towards the 20-point mark, but will be doing well to beat the Gavin Henson-inspired Ospreys in Wales.
For their part, the Neath-Swansea region must travel to Thomond Park and win - something that hasn't been achieved in Heineken Cup rugby for seven seasons.
POOL 5
Standings: Newcastle Falcons 17, Perpignan 10, Newport Gwent Dragons 10, Edinburgh Rugby 2.
Jonny Wilkinson is back from injury, which sets the unbeaten Newcastle Falcons up nicely for the run home. They face a daunting trip to Perpignan in the next round, but a win there or at home to the Newport Gwent Dragons guarantees them top spot.
Perpignan need to win their final two matches and hope the Dragons upset the Falcons, while the Dragons are in a similar position. If the two sides on 10 points win both remaining games, Pool 5 could end up with three teams on 18 or 19 points - a similar scenario to Pool 1. Edinburgh Rugby are out of the running, but last season's quarter-finalists are desperate to have a say in the final standings.
POOL 6
Standings: Stade Francais Paris 14, Gloucester 13, Ulster 8, Cardiff Blues 3.
Stade Francais' hiccup at Ravenhill at the weekend has given Gloucester a clear but tough run to the finish line. The English heavyweights are trailing Stade by one point in the standings but have the crucial home advantage in the Round 6 match between the pair.
Ulster have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the final eight, but must beat Gloucester and the Cardiff Blues and hope that other results go their way.
But with Stade hosting the winless Blues in Round 5, it would take a brave man to put money on Ulster to top this group - although they do have the talent to ruin Gloucester hopes at Ravenhill in early January. The Blues have earned three losing bonus points, but are out of contention for the quarter-finals.
