All change in Heineken Cup rankings system

A new ranking system will determine the six seeded clubs in the European Rugby Cup from next season. After months of debate, the flawed old method has been replaced by one which rewards consistency over four seasons.

For this summer's draw, the seeded six are expected to be Munster, Toulouse, Biarritz, Leicester, Stade Francais and Wasps.

Thus clubs who have won the last seven finals will be kept apart for the pool competition. The change, to be formally announced today, is designed to eliminate imbalance in the draw.

Until now, the organisers have insisted on the six seeds being based on the winners of the English, French, Italian and Magners leagues.

Ludicrously, that meant Glasgow being seeded as the highest-ranked Scottish team, despite finishing fourth from bottom, one place above Edinburgh.

Under the new system, clubs earn four points for winning their pool, three for finishing runners-up, two for third, one for fourth.

Quarter-finalists gain one point, semi-finalists an extra two, finalists two more with a further two for the winners.

That means the current top 20 are: 1, Biarritz (28pts); 2, Toulouse (28); 3, Wasps (27); 4, Munster (27); 5, Leicester (23); 6, Stade Francais (22); 7, Leinster (19); 8, Llanelli (16); 9, Bath (15); 10, Northampton (14); 11, Gloucester (14); 12, Perpignan (13); 13, Sale (12); 14, Clermont Auvergne (10); 15, Ospreys (8); 16, Ulster (8); 17, Newcastle (8); 18, Saracens (7); 19, Cardiff (7); 20, Edinburgh (7).

Those positions will change after the quarter-finals next weekend, with Wasps particularly vulnerable should the Ospreys succeed them as champions of Europe in Cardiff on May 24.

The holders qualify as No 1 seeds, in which event Wasps, already eliminated this season, would drop into the second tier of clubs.