Paris (AFP)

Toulouse almost punched its ticket for the quarter-finals of the European Cup from the 4th day after its victory in Montpellier (26-18), meanwhile eliminated like Lyon, beaten on the lawn of Treviso (25-22).

The perfect shot: much more jostled than last Sunday by the Héraultais (23-9), the Red and Black still won with the offensive bonus point, scoring almost each of their incursions into the opposing camp, including twice by the second row Rory Arnold and once by the winger Lucas Tauzin, after the siren for the fourth try, synonymous with an offensive bonus point.

With this fourth success, the reigning French champions, semi-finalists of the competition in the spring, have one foot and four toes in quarters: in group 5, they are nine points ahead of Gloucester (9 pts), who collected two bonus points despite his defeat on the wire (27-24) on the lawn of the Irish Connacht (8 pts). Montpellier (5 pts) is out of the race and has again reached its limits on the European scene (only one final phase contested, in 2013).

A success during the last two days against one of these two teams and the Toulousains will have mathematically ensured their qualification, which is no doubt. A defensive bonus should even be enough, but they are mainly targeting a home quarterfinal, which should go through two successes.

- Racing thanks the Saracens -

To obtain one of the first four places in the group stage, they compete with Leinster (14 pts in group 1, one game less), Exeter (14 pts in group 2, one game less), l 'Ulster (17 pts) and Clermont (11 pts, one game less) in pool 3 and Racing (17 pts in pool 4).

Winners Friday night of the Ospreys (40-27), the Ile-de-France residents received good news on Saturday with the Saracens' victory (15-6) (10 pts) against Munster (11 pts): a success on the next day, January 12, at home, against the Irish and they will be qualified.

The "Sarries", holders of the title, remain them alive after having reversed the vapor in the last quarter of an hour by two tests.

Finally, like Montpellier, Lyon (7 pts) for its part abandoned in Pool 1 its last meager hopes of qualifying by conceding seven minutes from the end in Italy its third defeat.

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