Glasgow on Saturday humiliated Leicester 43-0 to reach the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-finals for the first time as three-time winners Toulon sneaked into the last eight.
The Scottish club qualified as the best runners-up with second spot in Pool 1 on 19 points behind 2006 and 2008 champions Munster, who ensured a home quarter-final with 24 points thanks to a 22-10 win against Racing 92.
Glasgow had a bonus point secured by halftime at Welford Road Stadium after tries from winger Tommy Seymour, center Mark Bennett, skipper Jonny Gray and a penalty try.
Photo: Reuters
Flanker Ryan Wilson added a fifth try early in the second period, before lock Tim Swinson crossed for the sixth try.
Kicker Finn Russell finished with 13 points.
For 2001 and 2002 champions Leicester, it was their heaviest defeat in the competition.
“It’s a great end to the chapter, from where Scottish rugby started in professional rugby and where it is today,” Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend said.
In 1997, Glasgow shipped 90 points against Leicester at the same ground.
Munster saw off last season’s runners-up Racing on the back of three tries from Simon Zebo, Ronan O’Mahony and Ian Keatley.
Racing, playing without star backs Dan Carter and Juan Imhoff, finished the pool stage rock bottom on five points after wining just one of their six games.
Toulon also made the quarter-finals, despite slipping to a 10-3 defeat at defending champions Saracens.
The French giants made sure of a last-eight spot when Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny fired over a monster 50m penalty after 63 minutes to assure his team a losing bonus point in the Pool 3 game.
Toulon finished on 16 points, the same as Montpellier in Pool 4, but with a better points difference allowing them to grab qualification.
Saracens’ only try came from winger Chris Ashton, who is to join Toulon next season, with the win giving the English side a home quarter-final.
It was Saracens’ 15th match unbeaten in Europe and the performance brought praise from coach Mark McCall, who was missing a host of first-choice players, such as England internationals Billy and Mako Vunipola and George Kruis.
“Everyone knows who we are missing through injury, but for us to go toe-to-toe against an almost a full-strength side and show that effort, especially defensively, was extraordinary,” Saracens coach McCall said.
In the other concluding Pool 3 game, Sale edged Scarlets 25-23, but their first win of the tournament was not enough to lift them off the bottom.
Clermont, already assured of a place in the quarter-finals, launched a first-half blitz to overcome Exeter 48-26 in Pool 5 and take top seeding in the last eight.
The home side went on a five-try rampage in the first period, as they led 34-0, and added two more after the halftime break.
However, Clermont’s joy was tempered by French international center Wesley Fofana suffering an Achilles tendon rupture, which is to rule him out of the Six Nations, which starts on Feb. 4.
Fofana, 29, who has 44 caps, suffered the injury late in the first half just after scoring one of his team’s seven tries.
Clermont finished their pool campaign with 26 points after five wins.
As well as Fofana and a penalty try, Clermont triumphed through scores from Benjamin Kayser, Fijian winger Noa Nakaitaci, fullback Nick Abendanon, Peceli Yato and Alexandre Lapandry.
Bordeaux beat Ulster 26-22 in Saturday’s other Pool 5 game in Belfast.
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