It was a poor weekend for Americans playing in the Heineken Cup, with Chris Wyles’ Saracens, Samu Manoa’s Northampton Saints and Takudzwa Ngwenya’s Biarritz all losing. Manoa, Wyles and Ngwenya all started for their respective clubs on the weekend. None scored.

If the Heineken Cup quarterfinals started today, only Wyles’ team would make it. Saracens is now 2-1 having beaten Edinburgh and Racing Metro earlier this fall and lost to Munster, 15-9, Saturday in Limerick.

Zee’s and Manoa’s clubs are both 1-2 and face uphill battles toward reaching the quarterfinals. Northampton fell at home, 25-6 to Ulster, Friday, and Biarritz lost on the same day to Connacht in Galway, 22-14.

All three teams Americans have the chance to avenge last weekend’s losses this week, with all of their clubs in rematches against the teams they lost to. Northampton’s game premiers on Fox Soccer Plus 8pm Saturday, and Saracens’ rematch with Munster airs live on Fox Soccer Plus 9:55am Sunday.

In the Amlin Challenge Cup, Scott Lavalla’s Stade Francais beat Cavalieri Prato 37-23 Saturday to stay undefeated in Pool 5. Lavalla was not on the match day roster. In a rematch with the Italian club Thursday, Stade goes for 4-0 in Amlin play.

In the French Pro D2 league, Roland Suniula started and played a full 80 minutes for Auch Gers in their 19-12 loss to Aurillac. The loss is Auch’s fourth in five matches, dropping the team to 5-8-1 and 12^th place.

In Japan, Todd Clever got the weekend off as the Shining Arcs lost 29-6 to the Green Rockets. But he should be back in the lineup when the Shining Arcs take on his old team, Goliath, Saturday at Prince Chichibu Stadium.