Munster to face Perpignan

Following Munster’s emphatic 31-9 victory over Sale Sharks at Thomond Park on Saturday evening, they will now go on to play Perpignan in the Quarter Finals of the Heineken Cup.

The qualifiers for the 2005/6 Heineken Cup quarter-finals are… Top seeds Toulouse will meet Leinster for the fifth time in the Heineken Cup when they clash with the Irish side in the quarter-finals.

Toulouse currently lead 3-1 in the series and have only lost one of their seven previous quarter-finals away to Ulster in 1999.

Biarritz hold a 2-0 lead over Sale Sharks in European games, and will be looking for a third successive semi-final aappearance having beaten Munster at home and Llanelli Scarlets away in the last two years.

Despite more than 100 years of rivalry the meeting between Leicester Tigers and Bath will be their first in Europe
It will be baths fourth appearance in the knockout stages and the first time they won a quarter-final was in 1998 when they became the first English club to win the Heineken Cup.

Munster and Perpignan each hold two wins in their four match series in the Heineken Cup with each side winning their home games. Munster have beaten French teams five time out of six in the quarter-finals.

Quarter finals – (Ties to be played from March 31 – April 2):

Toulouse v Leinster

Biarritz Olympique v Sale Sharks

Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby

Munster v Perpignan

Pools:

Pool 1 Winners: Munster
Pool 2 Winners: Perpignan
Pool 3 Winners: Leicester Tigers
Pool 4 Winners: Biarritz Olympique
Pool 5 Winners: Bath Rugby
Pool 6 Winners: Toulouse

Best Runners Up:

Leinster
Sale Sharks

Seedings:

1) Toulouse (25 points; 22 tries)
2) Biarritz Olympique (24 points; 24 tries)
3) Leicester Tigers (24 points; 19 tries)
4) Munster (23 points; 22 tries)
5) Perpignan (23 points; 20 tries)
6) Bath Rugby (23 points; 18 tries)
7) Sale Sharks (23 points; 17 tries)
8) Leinster (22 Points; 28 tries)