Defending European Cup champions Toulon may be looking at quitting France for the English Premiership but their most pressing concern is avoiding an exit from Europe this weekend.
The mega-rich French giants, whose controversial owner Mourad Boudjellal said he wants his team to play in the English top flight, travel to Bath today in their final Pool 5 game on top of the table with a one-point lead over Wasps.
With only the five group winners guaranteed places in the quarterfinals, Toulon can’t afford to slip up at Bath despite the English team playing only for pride with no chance of making the knockout rounds.
Wasps would have wrapped up Pool 5 had they won in France last week and Toulon’s South African back-row forward Duane Vermeulen admitted his team-mates need to be more clinical.
“We had a lot of opportunities against Wasps but didn’t take them. We were struggling inside the opponents’ 22 and want to improve. But there is confidence in the squad,” said Vermeulen.
Top spot in Pool 2 is also still up for grabs with Welsh side Ospreys leading last year’s runners-up Clermont by two points.
Ospreys go to Exeter buoyed by a stunning 21-13 win over Clermont last week, overturning a sevenpoint half-time deficit in the process. Clermont face fellow Top 14 side Bordeaux.
The remaining three pools have already been wrapped up with Saracens clinching Pool 1, Racing 92 claiming Pool 3 while Leicester are guaranteed top spot in Pool 4. Northampton, second in Pool 3 on 14 points, go to Wales to meet the Scarlets who have the secondworst record of the 20 teams in the tournament.
Stade Francais also have 14 points in second spot in Pool 4, a massive nine behind the Tigers who they host in Paris. French champions Stade lost 26-13 at Munster last week.
