French giants Toulon and Clermont, and English champions Harlequins, joined Ulster on Saturday in the European Cup quarter-finals.
Toulon routed Cardiff Blues 45-25 in Pool 6, Harlequins beat Irish province Connacht 47-8 in Pool 3 while Clermont topped Pool 5 with a 46-3 rout of Exeter.
Two-time defending champions Leinster, who collected a bonus-point 33-14 win over the Scarlets, can only secure a last-eight berth as one of two best runners-up when group games end next week.
Toulon manager Bernard Laporte congratulated his players on bouncing back from their home defeat in the Top 14 by Racing-Metro last week.
“The bonus point allows us to approach the final pool match in the best possible conditions to ensure we have a home quarter-final, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves – nothing has been achieved yet.”
Cardiff opened the scoring with a penalty from Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny, who was then on hand to round off a midfield move in which Gavin Evans glided past a stationary Mathieu Bastareaud.
But Toulon fired back with quickfire tries from Kiwi winger Rudi Wulf and prop Xavier Chiocci, both converted by Jonny Wilkinson.
Hooker Jean-Charles Orioli was played in by Frederic Michalak and Chris Masoe for Toulon’s third try just before halftime, French centre Maxime Mermoz and winger Alexis Palisson bagging a swift brace after the restart.
In London, Harlequins beat Irish province Connacht 47-8 in a six-try-to-one thrashing, with ex-All Black Nick Evans kicking 15 points.
Saracens all but sealed their place in the last eight, prevailing against the odds with a 37-28 win over French opponents Racing-Metro in a thrilling Pool 1 clash.
The English side lead the pool by six points from Racing and will have their place confirmed in the quarters if Munster lose to Edinburgh on Sunday.
Saracens won despite trailing 19-6 and being reduced to 14 men twice.
The hosts ran in three tries in the first half, two to Argentine winger Juan Jose Imhoff, but were never able to shake off the English side.
In a peerless kicking display, Owen Farrell booted 11 from 11 – 10 penalties and one conversion – for a total of 32 points.
Clermont reached the quarters for the fifth time with their 46-3 win over Exeter.
The French side scored six tries through Jean-Marcellin Buttin (two), Wesley Fofana, Damien Chouly, David Skrela and Napolioni Nalaga.
Leinster ran in five tries to beat the Scarlets with Cian Healy, Shane Jennings, Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney and Ian Madigan all crossing.
But the Irish champions in 2009, 2011 and 2012 will need a bonus-point win at Exeter to keep their last-eight hopes alive.
Ulster, runners-up in 2012, secured their quarter-final spot on Friday with a 23-6 win over Glasgow.
