Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club and the reigning champions of the league Harlequins FC have opened up a one point lead at the top, as they find themselves out on their own at the top of their pool in the prestigious Heineken Cup, raking in a massive 19 points from their first four games of the 18th edition of the competition. Fellow four from four clubs Toulon and ASM Clermont Auvergne are both on 18 points as the race for the quarter finals intensify.

It is expected that the race for a place in the quarter finals of the biggest club competition in European rugby will enter the final straight in the new calendar year when the tournament resumes after the Christmas break with the four best group winners earning what is an invaluable advantage of being able to play their quarter final fixtures at home.

Round 3 produced a lot of surprises but for the English champions Harlequins FC, the newcomers to the tournament Zebre could manage little resilience as they were thumped 53-3 at home at Twickenham Stoop, completing their double over the minnows of the tournament.

The Quins take on Connacht Rugby at home again in the next round, aware that only a single match point from the encounter would be enough to mathematically secure their progress into the next round before the group stage ends with the final encounter with French side Biarritz Olympique whom they lead by a massive 10 points at this moment.

Conor O’Shea, the Director of Rugby of the club stated that many people have been saying that Harlequins FC has been struggling but he pointed out that the team is still unbeaten in Europe and has won 13 out of their 16 matches, which goes to say a lot about the performance of the club.