The Six Nations took a break this weekend all eight Heineken Cup quarter-finalists were in club action.
Four of the eight quarter-final sides Ospreys, Toulouse, London Irish, and Munster recorded important victories in their respective domestic championships.
In the Guinness Premiership London Irish defeated double Heineken Cup champions, Leicester Tigers 22-13, at the Madjeski Stadium, with Irish out half Eoghan Hickey kicking four penalties for the side who will face Perpignan in April.
Gloucester, who will host Munster in the quarters, lost away to Bristol 26-29. On a positive note for the Cherry and Whites their Italian captain Marco Bortolami made his come back for the club after several weeks out with injury.
Also in England, Saracens who will face the Ospreys in the European showdown in April, lost away to the European Challenge Cup quarter-finalists Newcastle Falcons.
The Celtic sides also saw action in the Magners League with Ospreys over coming Connacht in the Liberty Stadium 37-07. Ryan Jones' team scored four tries and dominated the Irish province throughout.
Munster, strengthened by the return of Paul O'Connell, recorded an important away win to Edinburgh, while Cardiff Blues lost to table topers Leinster 24-17 at the RDS.
Cardiff's quarter-final opponents Toulouse had a better weekend in the Top 14 comfortably beating fellow quarter-finalists, Perpignan, 41-15. Vincent Clerc continued his prolific try scoring ways, having already recorded 25 tries in the Heineken Cup and five in the Six Nations, the wing scored his fiftieth try for Toulouse against the Catalans.
