The top two clubs in five of the six Heineken Cup pools will go head-to-head in the key round 3 and 4 pre-Christmas back-to-back fixtures which traditionally go a long way to deciding the qualifiers for the tournament knockout stages.
Of the seven unbeaten clubs after the opening two rounds of the 2012/13 season, two find themselves ready to do battle in Pool 5, and reigning champions Leinster Rugby and ASM Clermont Auvergne have a long-standing Heineken Cup rivalry.
They met in last season’s memorable semi-final at Stade Chaban Delmas in Bordeaux when Leinster dramatically edged the verdict 19-15, they clashed in the pool stages of the 2010/11 tournament in the same order as this season at Stade Marcel Michelin
and the Aviva Stadium, and they were adversaries at the quarter-final stage in 2010
at the RDS in Dublin.
Although Leinster lead the series between the two clubs 5-1 dating back to 2002, Clermont are in vintage form in Europe going into Sunday’s eagerly anticipated Pool 5 contest, and are the only club with a maximum 10 points in the current competition.
High-scoring Saracens, who have registered victories over Edinburgh Rugby and Racing Metro 92 to date, will be looking to maintain their lead at the top of Pool 1 when they take on two-time tournament winners, Munster Rugby, in the first of the back-to-back games at Thomond Park on Saturday.
In Pool 2, four-time champions, Toulouse, continue their quest for yet another Heineken Cup success when they go up against Ospreys at Stade Ernest Wallon on Saturday. The clubs met in the back-to-back rounds in the 2003/04 season with Toulouse winning both contests 26-9 and 29-11.
Ulster Rugby, who are aiming to go one better than last season when they were defeated in the final by Leinster, clash with Northampton Saints in Pool 4 at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday. While the 2011 finalists, Northampton, are bound to have other ideas, Ulster will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions this
season.
Current Top 14 leaders and Pool 6 toppers, Toulon, will play Sale Sharks for the first time in the Heineken Cup when the two go head-to-head at Salford City Stadium on Saturday.