DRAGONS CLAIM 24th PLACE
Newport Gwent Dragons booked their place in the 2008 / 2009 Heineken Cup tournament when they beat Welsh rivals the Ospreys 18-10 at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night (6 May) to ensure they will finish above Connacht Rugby in the Magners League.
It means the four Welsh regions - Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, the Ospreys and the Dragons - will compete in the 14th season of the tournament along with fellow Celtic sides Leinster, Munster, Ulster Rugby, Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.
And, with France supplying seven clubs to next season's tournament courtesy of Toulouse qualifying for the final and making France the most successful nation ahead of either England or Italy, the race is really hotting up in France for that extra place in particular.
With six rounds of the Top 14 to go - seven for Toulouse and Castres Olympique - and plenty of points still on offer, the pace setters for the French qualifiers are ASM Clermont Auvergne with 77 points and Toulouse on 71 points.
They are followed by Stade Français Paris (65), Perpignan (61), Biarritz Olympique (53), Castres Olympique (51), Montauban (46), Montpellier (40), Bayonne (39), Bourgoin (38), Brive (37) and Albi on 36. Dax (30) and Auch (14) are in the relegation zone.
The six English qualifiers - which will include either Bath Rugby or Worcester Warriors as European Challenge Cup winners - are headed by Gloucester Rugby on 70 Premiership points and Bath Rugby on 68 points.
They are followed by Sale Sharks (63), Harlequins (61), London Wasps (60), Leicester Tigers (59) and London Irish on 55 points.
Newport Gwent Dragons booked their place in the 2008 / 2009 Heineken Cup tournament when they beat Welsh rivals the Ospreys 18-10 at Rodney Parade on Tuesday night (6 May) to ensure they will finish above Connacht Rugby in the Magners League.
It means the four Welsh regions - Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, the Ospreys and the Dragons - will compete in the 14th season of the tournament along with fellow Celtic sides Leinster, Munster, Ulster Rugby, Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.
And, with France supplying seven clubs to next season's tournament courtesy of Toulouse qualifying for the final and making France the most successful nation ahead of either England or Italy, the race is really hotting up in France for that extra place in particular.
With six rounds of the Top 14 to go - seven for Toulouse and Castres Olympique - and plenty of points still on offer, the pace setters for the French qualifiers are ASM Clermont Auvergne with 77 points and Toulouse on 71 points.
They are followed by Stade Français Paris (65), Perpignan (61), Biarritz Olympique (53), Castres Olympique (51), Montauban (46), Montpellier (40), Bayonne (39), Bourgoin (38), Brive (37) and Albi on 36. Dax (30) and Auch (14) are in the relegation zone.
The six English qualifiers - which will include either Bath Rugby or Worcester Warriors as European Challenge Cup winners - are headed by Gloucester Rugby on 70 Premiership points and Bath Rugby on 68 points.
They are followed by Sale Sharks (63), Harlequins (61), London Wasps (60), Leicester Tigers (59) and London Irish on 55 points.
