Llanelli and Leinster joined Biarritz in the European Cup quarter-finals after posting impressive wins over Ulster and Edinburgh respectively on Saturday.
The Welsh club belied terrible conditions to turn in an impressive ball-handling display in a 35-11 mauling of Ulster.
The result left them sitting pretty at the top of Pool 5 with five wins out of five for 23 points, a massive 10 points ahead of former three-time champions Toulouse.
Leinster outclassed Edinburgh 49-10, Argentinian captain Felipe Contemponi producing a man-of-the-match performance in a scintillating game that saw Ireland winger Shane Horgan cross for a hat-trick of tries.
French champions Biarritz ran in seven tries to demolish Parma 45-3 on Friday to guarantee their place in the last eight of northern hemisphere rugby's premier cup competition.
The win by the Scarlets over Ulster at a rain-sodden Ravenhill was the Irish province's first home defeat in more than a year, and was sealed in the final quarter with tries through Dwayne Peel and Gavin Thomas.
"I'm very pleased with the way we approached the game," Llanelli coach Phil Davies said. "We played with efficiency and intensity and it was great to get a five-try victory at Ravenhill."
Toulouse snatched a vital 26-24 win over London Irish, but will have to rely on securing at least victory with bonus points over Ulster in their final match next Sunday to secure second place in the group.
London Irish full-back Delon Armitage scored a hat-trick of tries in the final 15 minutes to give Toulouse a scare but the French soaked up the pressure and punished them when Benoit Baby and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde scored late in the game.
Leicester set up a Pool 4 decider against European champions Munster in Limerick next Saturday after handing Cardiff a 34-0 hammering at Welford Road.
Cardiff were outplayed in all key areas, as Tigers warmed up for a showdown at Munster, where the Irish giants have never lost a European Cup game.
Winger Oriol Ripol led the way with two tries as Sale kept their qualification hopes alive with a bonus-point, 29-11 away victory over Calvisano.
Center Chris Mayor and scrumhalf Ben Foden claimed the other Sale tries and fly-half Richard Wigglesworth landed three conversions and a penalty in the Pool 3 clash.
The Pool 1 clash between Wasps and Perpignan saw the London club come through with a 22-14 win.
Four first-half penalties from Wasps' veteran fly-half Alex King to one from French counterpart Nicolas Laharrague was all that separated the teams at half-time.
It was a hard-hitting affair, with some jolting midfield tackles, notably from England international Josh Lewsey and Perpignan's South African center Gavin Hume.
Perpignan hooker Nicolas Mas was sinbinned on the stroke of half-time for stupidly kicking the ball away at a lineout, but with Wasps pushing, the French club did well to hold on.
Another King penalty extended Wasps' lead in the second-half, and with the London club's backline proving a real handful at times for the Catalan side, it was fitting that Wasps' sole try of the game came from center Dominic Waldouck.
The 19-year-old, impressive throughout alongside fellow teenager Danny Cipriani at full-back, charged down a poor clearance kick and raced through to touch down for a try King converted.
Perpignan's Romanian No. 8 scored a late try with a pick-up and drive but replacement Steve Meyer failed to kick the extras and Wasps hung on to win.
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