Leinster left on the brink
Defending champions Leinster were left on the edge of going out in the pool stage of the European Cup after being outplayed by Clermont on Saturday.
Clermont's victory in Dublin, built on 23 points from France star Morgan Parra's boot, saw them move onto 18 points in Pool Five while Leinster are on 10 points after grabbing a defensive bonus point right at the death when Fergus McFadden touched down.
"We are very happy as every other time we have come here we have lost," said Parra.
"Our defence was the difference, which meant we got to control the ball."
His captain Aurelien Rougerie paid a handsome tribute to the France scrumhalf.
"He was everything to do with this victory. It is down to him."
Exeter are a point behind Leinster as they secured a second successive win over Welsh side Scarlets, with a 30-20 victory at home.
Clermont led 9-6 approaching the break when they landed a huge psychological blow as they scored a superb try.
Wesley Fofana burst over the line after Napolioni Nalaga had been brought down just short. Parra landed the conversion to give them a 16-6 lead at half-time.
Parra and Jonathan Sexton each converted a penalty early in the second-half.
However, the hosts' chances of getting back into the match got slimmer in the 50th minute when flank Sean O'Brien was sin-binned for a dangerous challenge on Sitiveni Sivivatu and Parra landed the resulting penalty for 22-9.
Parra added another in a peerless display of kicking but the Irish side, at last showing some fire, saw Shane Jennings go over for only their second try in this season's tournament and Sexton added the conversion for 25-16.
Parra, though, added yet another three points leaving the hosts 10 minutes to recoup something from the match which they did when Sexton burst from the halfway line and fed McFadden, who secured a crucial bonus point.
Ulster's 13-match winning run came to an end in Belfast when Northampton avenged last week's 25-6 defeat in Pool Four with a hard-fought 10-9 win.
Saints scored all their points in the opening 40 minutes with a try from No.8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze along with a conversion and penalty from Stephen Myler.
Ulster's points all came from the boot of Paddy Jackson.
The Irish side had a chance to snatch victory at the death but Ruan Pienaar went wide with a 40-metre penalty.
Despite the defeat, Ulster still lead the group by five points.
Ospreys restored some pride to Welsh club rugby with an impressive 17-6 victory over four-time winners Toulouse in Pool Two.
The Ospreys, whose two wins in this season's competition are the only ones from 12 games Welsh sides have played in, scored the one try of the game through man of the match Eli Walker against a Toulouse side that totally under-performed.
Leicester went top of the pool after they eked out a come-from-behind 14-13 win over Treviso in Italy.
The English side, who travel to Ospreys in the next round of matches in January, lead Toulouse by a point with two games remaining while Ospreys are five points adrift of the pool leaders.
Leicester host Toulouse in what should be a thrilling final pool game.
Toulouse general manager Guy Noves conceded that his side had not deserved to win.
"We knew that we wouldn't earn our spot in the knock-out stages even if we won here and similarly we knew if we lost we wouldn't be eliminated," he said.
The key moment came with Toulouse's second yellow card in the game close on the hour mark when experienced flank Jean Bouilhou was sin-binned for a high tackle on the outstanding 20-year-old wing Walker.
Walker made them pay double for that as he was released on the left wing and evaded a dreadful attempt at a tackle by opposite number Yoann Huget to touch down.
Leinster 21-28 Clermont
The scorers:
For Leinster:
Tries: Jennings, McFadden
Con: Sexton
Pens: Sexton 3
For Clermont:
Try: Fofana
Con: Parra
Pens: Parra 7
Leinster: 15 Ian Madigan, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Gordon D'Arcy, 12 Andrew Goodman, 11 Isa Nacewa, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Sean O'Brien, 5 Damien Browne, 4 Leo Cullen (captain), 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Heinke Van Der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Kevin McLaughlin, 21 Issac Boss, 22 Andrew Conway, 23 David Kearney.
Clermont: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 13 Aurélien Rougerie (captain), 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Naipolioni Nalaga, 10 Brock James, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Julien Bardy, 6 Julien Bonnaire, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Raphael Chaume.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Daniel Kotze, 19 Loïc Jacquet, 20 Alexandre Lapandry, 21 Ludo Radosavljevic, 22 David Skrela, 23 Regan King.
Ospreys 17-6 Toulouse
The scorers:
For Ospreys:
Try: Walker
Pens: Biggar 3
DG: Biggar
For Toulouse:
Pen: Doussain
DG: Doussain
Ospreys: 15 Richard Fussell, 14 Ross Jones, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i (captain), 8 Joe Bearman, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ryan Jones, 5 James King, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Campbell Johnstone, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Ryan Bevington.
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Adam Jones, 19 Lloyd Peers, 20 George Stowers, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Matthew Morgan, 23 Tom Isaacs.
Toulouse: 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Yann David, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Jean-Marc Doussain, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 6 Jean Bouilhou, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Yoann Maestri, 3 Cencus Johnston, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Vasil Kakovin.
Replacements: 16 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 17 Yohan Montes, 18 Roman Millo-Chluski, 19 Yannick Nyanga, 20 Gregory Lamboley, 21 Sébastian Bézy, 22 Yannick Jauzion, 23 Christopher Tolofua.
Treviso 13-14 Leicester Tigers
The scorers:
For Treviso:
Try: Penalty
Con: Di Bernardo
Pens: Di Bernardo 2
For Leicester:
Tries: Thompstone, Penalty
Cons: Ford 2
Treviso: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Ludovico Nitoglia, 13 Christian Loamanu, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Tommaso Iannone, 10 Alberto Di Bernardo, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Manoa Vosawai, 7 Dean Budd, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Cornelius van Zyl, 4 Francesco Minto, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Michele Rizzo.
Replacements: 16 Franco Sbaraglini, 17 Matteo Muccignat, 18 Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet, 19 Valerio Bernabo, 20 Paul Derbyshire, 21 Simone Favaro, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 Kristopher Burton.
Leicester: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Niall Morris, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Anthony Allen, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Brett Deacon, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Louis Deacon, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Logovi'i Mulipola, 18 Martin Castrogiovanni, 19 Graham Kitchener, 20 Jordan Crane, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Geordan Murphy, 23 Dan Bowden.
Harlequins 53-5 Zebre
The scorers:
For Harlequins:
Tries: Casson, Penalty try, Botica, Easter, Smith, Care, Dickson
Cons: Evans 6
Pens: Evans 2
For Zebre:
Try: Trevisan
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Ugo Monye, 13 Matt Hopper, 12 Tom Casson, 11 Sam Smith, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Tom Guest, 5 George Robson, 4 Charlie Matthews, 3 Will Collier, 2 Joe Gray, 1 Mark Lambert.
Replacements: 16 Rob Buchanan, 17 Darryl Marfo, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Sam Twomey, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Ben Botica, 23 Jordan Turner-Hall.
Zebre: 15 Ruggero Trevisan, 14 Giovanbattista Venditti, 13 Samuele Pace, 12 Daniel Halangahu, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Alberto Chillon, 8 Dries van Schalkwyk, 7 Filippo Ferrarini, 6 Nicola Cattina, 5 Josh Sole, 4 Mike Van Vuren, 3 Luca Redolfini, 2 Davide Giazzon, 1 Andrea de Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Carlo Fazzari, 18 Salvatore Perugini, 19 Nicola Belardo, 20 Filippo Cristiano, 21 Luca Martinelli, 22 Matteo Pratichetti, 23 Gonzalo Garcia.
Ulster 9-10 Northampton Saints
The scorers:
For Ulster:
Pens: Jackson 3
For Northampton:
Try: Van Velze
Con: Myler
Pen: Myler
Ulster: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Roger Wilson , 7 Chris Henry (captain), 6 Nick Williams, 5 Dan Tuohy, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 John Afoa, 2 Rory Best, 1 Tom Court.
Replacements: 16 Nigel Brady, 17 Callum Black, 18 Ricky Lutton, 19 Neil McComb, 20 Robbie Diack, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Luke Marshall, 23 Craig Gilroy.
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Tom May, 11 Jamie Elliott, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Phil Dowson, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Calum Clark, 4 Samu Manoa, 3 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Ross McMillan, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Mark Sorenson, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Luther Burrell.
Montpellier 34-21 Cardiff Blues
The scorers:
For Montpellier:
Tries: Nagusa , Van Vuuren, Audrin, Beattie
Cons: Bustos Moyano 4
Pens: Bustos Moyano 2
For Cardiff Blues:
Tries: Warburton, Cuthbert
Con: Patchell
Pens: Patchell 3
Montpellier: 15 Martin Bustos Moyano, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Matt Carraro, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Yoan Audrin, 10 Santiago Fernandez, 9 Julien Tomas, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Kelian Galletier, 6 Alexandre Bias, 5 Aliki Fakate, 4 Mickael Demarco, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Rassie van Vuuren, 1 Yvan Watremez.
Replacements: 16 Mickael Ladhuie, 17 Na'ama Leleimalefaga, 18 Barry Fa'amausili, 19 Thibaut Privat, 20 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 21 Eric Escande, 22 Shontayne Hape, 23 Benjamin Thiery.
Cardiff Blues: 15 Jason Tovey, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Gavin Evans, 12 Dafydd Hewitt, 11 Harry Robinson, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Lewis Jones, 8 Andries Pretorius, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 James Down, 4 Lou Reed, 3 Benoit Bourrust, 2 Rhys Williams, 1 Tau Filise.
Replacements: 16 Marc Breeze, 17 Sam Hobbs, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Macauley Cook, 20 Robin Copeland, 21 Rob Lewis, 22 Gareth Davies, 23 Owen Williams.
Exeter Chiefs 30-20 Scarlets
The scorers:
For Exeter:
Tries: Whitten, Alcott, Scaysbrook
Cons: Steenson 3
Pens: Steenson 3
For Scarlets:
Tries: Owens, Scott Williams
Cons: Thomas 2
Pens: Thomas 2
Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Sireli Naqelevuki, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Gonzalo Camacho, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Haydn Thomas, 8 Tom Johnson, 7 James Scaysbrook (captain), 6 Dean Mumm, 5 James Hanks, 4 Aly Muldowney, 3 Hoani Tui, 2 Simon Alcott, 1 Brett Sturgess.
Replacements: 16 Neil Clark, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Carl Rimmer, 19 Damian Welch, 20 Ben White, 21 Kevin Barrett, 22 Ignacio Mieres, 23 Luke Arscott.
Scarlets: 15 Liam Williams 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies (captain), 12 Scott Williams, 11 Gareth Maule, 10 Aled Thomas, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Kieran Murphy, 7 Johnathan Edwards, 6 George Earle, 5 Richard Kelly, 4 Sione Timani, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Shaun Hopkins.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Deacon Manu, 19 Johan Synman, 20 Tomás Vallejos, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Dan Newton, 23 Kristian Phillips.