Not quite sure how the quarter-final picture is shaping up in this season's Heineken Cup? Let us cleaer things up for you...

The race for quarter-final qualification is entering the home straight with the coveted eight places set to go all the way to the completion of Round 6 matches.

The format of the two best runners-up qualifying for the quarter-finals as the No 7 and No 8 ranked teams has been in operation since the 1999 / 2000 season - with bonus points coming into the equation in season 2003 / 2004.

Since then, no team has qualified as a best runner up with less than 19 points although in 2003 / 2004 Celtic Warriors and in 2006 / 2007 the Ospreys both discovered that even 20 points was not sufficient to make the knock-out stages.

POOL MATCHES

Four points for a win, two points for a draw (match points). A bonus point will be earned by a team scoring four or more tries and by a team losing by seven or less points. The six Pool winners and two best placed runners-up will qualify for the quarter-finals and will be decided by the following criteria:

(i) the Pool winner will be the Club with the highest number of match points earned in each Pool. The runners-up will be the two second placed Clubs from all six Pools with the next highest number of points. For the quarter-final round, the Pool winners will be ranked 1 - 6 in terms of the number of points earned. The runners-up will be ranked 7 and 8.

CLUBS IN THE SAME POOL

(ii) if two or more Clubs are equal on points and the Clubs are in the same Pool, then qualification / ranking will be based on the matches played between the Clubs concerned:
(a) the Club which has earned the most number of match points from the matches
(b) the Club which has scored the most tries in the matches
(c) the Club with the best aggregate points difference from the matches

CLUBS FROM DIFFERENT POOLS

(iii) if still unresolved, or the teams have not played each other previously in the Pool stage, qualification / ranking will be based on:
(a) the number of tries scored in all Pool matches
(b) aggregate points difference from all Pool matches
(c) the Club with the fewest number of players sent off and / or suspended in all Pool
matches
(d) toss of a coin

HOW THEY STAND

Since the format of the two best runners-up qualifying for the quarter-finals as the No 7 and No 8 ranked teams has been in operation since the 1999 / 2000 season and bonus points coming into the equation in season 2003 / 2004, here are some quarter-final qualification pointers:

* No team has qualified as Pool winners on less than four wins.

* No team has qualified as one of the best runners-up on less than four wins.

* Since bonus points were introduced no team has qualified as a Pool winner on less than 18 points (Stade Francais Paris in 2003 / 2004).

* Since bonus points were introduced no team has qualified as one of the best runners-up on less than 19 points (Leicester Tigers in 2004 / 2005)

POOL 1

Maximum points and wins attainable:
London Irish - 24 points / 5 wins
Perpignan - 23 points / 5 wins
Newport Gwent Dragons - 13 points / 2 wins
Benetton Treviso - 10 points / 2 wins

POOL 2

Maximum points and wins attainable:
Gloucester Rugby - 24 points / 5 wins
Ospreys - 22 points / 5 wins
Bourgoin - 12 points / 2 wins
Ulster Rugby - 9 points / 2 wins

POOL 3

Maximum points and wins attainable:
Cardiff Blues - 21 points / 4 wins (and a draw)
Stade Francais Paris - 18 points / 4 wins
Bristol Rugby - 27 / 4 wins
Harlequins - 7 points / 1 wins (and a draw)

POOL 4

Maximum points and wins attainable:
Saracens - 25 points / 5 wins
Glasgow Warriors - 20 points / 4 wins
Biarritz Olympique - 18 points / 5 wins
Viadana - 8 points / 1 win

POOL 5

Maximum points and wins attainable:
London Wasps - 23 points / 5 wins
Munster - 20 points / 4 wins
ASM Clermont Auvergne - 19 points / 4 wins
Llanelli Scarlets - 5 points / 1 win

POOL 6

Maximum points and wins attainable:
Toulouse - 20 points / 4 wins
Leinster - 17 points / 4 wins
Leicester Tigers - 15 points / 3 wins
Edinburgh - 14 points / 3 wins