Written by Alex Goff    Sunday, 22 January 2012 13:55    PDF Print Write e-mail
European Glory for American Players
International - Americans Overseas

Hayden Smith and Chris Wyles both came on as subs to help Saracens avoid an upset against Treviso and clinch a quarterfinal spot in the Heineken Cup.

Smith came on at 32 minutes for captain Steve Borthwick, and Wyles slotted on at 50 minutes to help Saracens rebound from a 17-13 halftime deficit.

Saracens, the only Heineken quarterfinal team with USA players on the roster, will take on Clermont in the QFs.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Pool 5, Taku Ngwenya torched the Scott Johnson-led Ospreys for three tries as Biarritz won 36-5.

Ngwenya scored five minutes in and then five minutes after that, before putting the game away in the second half. Biarritz end their campaign 3-3 and 2nd behind 5-1 Saracens.

Bath won 23-18 over Glasgow. USA hooker Chris Biller did not play as Bath's foreigner quota has been used up with other players.

Montpellier lost 25-3 to Leinster. Seta Tuilevuka did not play.

Bathen ended up 3rd in Pool 3 at 2-4, while Montpellier were 4th at 1-3-2.

And in pool 1 Northampton and Samu Manoa, who started at lock, lost 51-36 in a barnburner to Munster. Munster wins the pool, the Saints drop to 2-4.

Also in the Amlin Challenge Cup, Stade Francais won easily over Worcester, but Scott LaValla did not play. 


In the Amlin knockout rounds, Heineken Cup teams that didn't make the Heineken Cup quarterfinals get a shot at the Amlin QFs. The five Amlin pool winners join up with the third, fourth and fifth Heineken Cup pool runners up for the final eight.

As a result, Stade Francais is the #1 seed, and Biarritz, by virtue of their big win over Ospreys, also qualify.


The Quarterfinals for both competitions, to be played April 5, 6 or 7, are:


Heineken Cup Quarterfinals:
     Munster vs Ulster
     Leinster vs Cardiff
     Edinburgh vs Toulouse
     Saracens (Chris Wyles, Hayden Smith) vs Clermont

AMlin Challenge Cup Quarterfinals:
Stade Français Paris (Scott LaValla) v Exeter Chiefs 
Brive v Scarlets 
Toulon v Harlequins 
London Wasps v Biarritz Olympique (Taku Ngwenya)
 

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