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The Off Load: Rupert Cox's best and worst from the last week in the world of rugby

Image: Bath: They didn't just beat Toulouse - they dissected them

Rupert Cox shares his highlights from the week's rugby action in his round-up blog...

English Stocks Soar

Round 5 was a corker, with all teams going all guns blazing to secure the precious extra points that mean the difference between playing knock-out Champions Cup rugby, and watching it on the box with the rest of us.

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Highlights of the Round 5 European Champions Cup clash between Toulouse and Bath.

Bath constructed one of the most extraordinary performances by an English side in France for many a year. Their victory over the four-time champions Toulouse stunned the usually-vocal Ernest Wallon into silence. Bath didn't just beat Toulouse - they dissected them. George Ford, Kyle Eastmond, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson and Matt Banahan were world class throughout and will, no doubt, give Stuart Lancaster food for thought before he names his elite squad this week. Francois Louw again showed how important he is to this Bath side (and to South Africa, also, in this World Cup year) with a brilliant game on the side of the scrum against the France skipper Thierry Dusautoir.

Round 5's other headline-grabbers were Wasps. The club that now call Coventry home returned to London for the day and stung Harlequins to turn Pool 2 on its head. All the pre-match talk was on whether Stuart Lancaster should recall Quins' Nick Easter in his England squad given the injury to Gloucester's Ben Morgan, but that was a conversation Wasps had no ears for. They upstaged their more high profile counterparts - Easter included. Quins were denied a single try. All of a sudden, like Bath, Wasps are on the cusp of qualifying for the last eight, despite having lost their opening two games. The smile on James Haskell's face at full-time stretched right the way across the A316.

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Highlights of the Round 5 European Champions Cup clash between Harlequins and Wasps

Saracens made a statement with an easy win over a disgruntled Munster on the plastic pitch in North London, but they missed out on the try bonus point - potentially crucial given their Round 6 trip to France to play Clermont. The last English team to win at Stade Marcel Michelin was Sale, back through the mists in 2008. Alas for Sarries, Clermont just refuse to lose at home.

Northampton's smart win over the Ospreys in Swansea set up a Round 6 shoot-out between the Saints and the unbeaten Racing Metro. The Saints are favourites to win at home, but thanks to Treviso's trusty limpness, one of the three best runners up spots will surely come from this group.

Leicester may well sneak into the knock-outs if they get a bonus point win against Ulster. The men from Belfast are out of the play-off picture, so the Tigers have every reason to get motivated.

No Welsh regions are in the Champions Quarters, Glasgow are up against it to maintain Scottish hopes, and Leinster alone are flying the flag for the Irish clubs. So money remains on Toulon or Clermont to take the title, and an all-French final at Twickenham is still a strong possibility. But with five English sides gunning for the last eight, it is England whose stocks are rising fast in this inaugural Champions Cup.

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Watch Yoann Huget's controversial dive during Toulouse's round five Champions Cup clash with Bath.

Brickbat

Yoann Huget. Dude, get up.

Bouquet

This week's posy must go to Bath, who were sublime against Toulouse, and to Jonathan Joseph and Kyle Eastmond for playing with such flair. Any talk of the dearth of midfield talent in English rugby has been silenced by these two; here's your centre pairing for the Six Nations opener, Stu. 

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