The 2008 tournament champions and 1998 Heineken Cup winners now have the target of finishing as the top seeds from the five groups - a goal that would see them avoid any of the Heineken Cup Pool runners up in the draw for the quarter-finals.

Heathcote had a mixed afternoon with the boot but his two second-half penalties proved enough to secure a hard-fought victory against a resilient Top 14 team.

The Bath fly-half and his opposite number for Agen, Raphael Lagarde, swapped early penalties before Wales prop Paul James scored a try for the home side to give them a 13-9 lead at half-time.

Agen piled on the pressure at the start of the second half despite losing their playmaker Lagarde to a yellow card in the 44th minute and Bath were unable to pull away from a team who still harboured slight hopes of a place in the knockout stages themselves.

Heathcote landed his second penalty to push Bath seven points clear before Agen tied the scores at 16-16 when their big No8 Uelenitoni Fono scored their only try with 57 minutes played.

But just as it looked as though Bath's winning run could be under threat, Heathcote kicked the hosts to victory with his final strike just six minutes after Fono's well-taken score.