Three-times Heineken Cup champions Stade Toulousain will play host to Paris wannabes Stade Francais an all-French quarter-final that will at least guarantee one Top 14 club in the competition's last four.

Quarter-final ties:
Munster v Northampton Saints
Biarritz Olympic v Ospreys
Stade Toulousain v Stade Francais
Leinster v Clermont Auvergne

The two Stades will go head-to-head in a re-run of the 20045 final - which Toulouse won 18-12 after extra time - with the winner then set to play the victor of the Leinster v Clermont Auvergne quarter-final.

It is the first time since 1998/9 that four French teams have made the quarter-finals - although that former occasion was in the season when English sides boycotted the competition.

Biarritz are the other French sides to have made the last eight, with the Basques earning a home quarter-final against the Ospreys - conquerors of Leicester Tigers at the weekend - while in-form Clermont must travel to Ireland to take on defending champions Leinster.

Four of the eight teams are previous European champions, but the French domination is in stark contrast to just one English representative (Northampton Saints) making it through - a direct reversal of the same stage last season. The weekend's outcome has inevitably led to some people suggesting the larger wealth of French clubs has had a direct impact on results, but while it is undoubtedly a factor it is not so different from 12 months ago.

Heineken Cup Pools & Fixtures

A more cogent observation is that French clubs have focused their energies more directly on the Heineken Cup this season, with the enlarged Top 14 play-off format - to feature six rather than four teams - offering aspirant sides a little more leeway on the domestic front.

Indeed, both Stade Francais and Biarritz are currently outside the top six, although both will be hoping to make up ground between now and the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in April. All four French teams will certainly need to be 100% focused on the Heineken Cup when those ties do come around, with Stade Francais, Clermont and Biarritz all seeking their maiden triumph in Europe's premier club competition. Stade Francais (twice) and Biarritz (once) have both made it to finals before, but Clermont have never been beyond the quarter-finals.

But, for my money, it is Stade Toulousain who look the most dangerous out of that Gallic quartet. Guy Noves' team know all about what it takes to lift the Heineken Cup - having already done so on a record three occasions, and their home advantage over Stade Francais should prove invaluable.

The Parisians will rightly take heart from their 9-9 draw in Toulouse back in September, but a perhaps more telling statistic is the fact that Stade Francais have yet to win a single away game in Top 14 so far this season. The difference between drawing (as they have done on four occasions) and winning may be miniscule, but on such margins are trophies won. They have likewise struggled on the road in Europe, with Saturday's 9-7 defeat at Edinburgh again underlining their travelling fragility.

They also lost away to Ulster (23-13) and only won in Bath (27-29) thanks to a late try from Ollie Phillips and Julien Dupuy's superb place-kicking. The latter, of course, will play no further part for Stade this season after his 23-week ban for eye-gouging - in that away loss to Ulster - while David Attoub's 70-week ban will similarly keep him out of action.

They should, however, have Italy captain Sergio Parisse back to fitness by April and also have the tangible carrot of this year's final being hosted in Paris at the Stade de France - their de facto second home.

Stade Toulousain coach described their possible path to the final as "a really tough draw for us" and said he believed Top 14 leaders Clermont were now the tournament favourites despite being drawn away to Leinster.

Biarritz undoubtedly have it in them to beat the Ospreys, although they have given up home advantage to a degree by moving the match to the Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian, Spain. That will, however, ensure a bumper crowd and electric atmosphere, with many of Biarritz's squad already familiar with Real Sociedad's superb home ground. They won there 12-6 against Bayonne in the Basque derby earlier in the season, and will also host Stade Toulousain there in their Top 14 clash at the back end of March.

"I know it will be a great occasion for our supporters to have a party," said coach Jack Isaac. "It will be a very complicated match against a star-studded side. I hope that Anoeta will help us be stronger than usual," he added.

The Basques have certainly looked good in the Heineken Cup so far this season, becoming the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals and ending with an impressive 23-point haul and +91 points differential. Their flair-packed back line appears to have found it easier to flourish on the European stage, whereas inconsistency has been their undoing so far in Top 14.

However, should they maintain their current excellent European form with a 'home' win against the Ospreys they will then have a home semi-final against either Munster or Northampton Saints. Again, that home advantage could be absolutely crucial as the Basques seek to go one better than their 2006 losing final appearance (23-29 against Munster).

Clermont Auvergne, the last of France's four representatives, must do it the hard way if they're to make it through to the semi-finals, but confidence (or lack of it) should certainly not be a problem. Vern Cotter's team are currently flying high at the top of the French domestic league and appear to have added a previously lacking mental fortitude that has let them down so often in the past.

Their recent away league win at Stade Toulousain was certainly a landmark victory, and they should also take considerable comfort from having emerged as group winners from the so-called 'Pool of Death', which also featured twice champions Leicester Tigers and the Ospreys. Whether they can maintain their current surging form remains to be seen, and there will also be plenty of doubters in France who will point to their propensity to choke on the big occasion.

Ten French final defeats from 10 tells its own story - including the last three in successive years - and it is something that only the players can answer by performing on the pitch when required. But Cotter and his coaching team can only win what is before them, something 'Les Jaunards' have been doing with élan of late.  They will need to dig on all their mental fortitude to dethrone the reigning Heineken Champions on their own turf, but there's no doubt Clermont have the skill set to do so.

If they can - and it is a mighty 'if' - then we will be set for an all-French semi-final showdown with Clermont then travelling as the away team to either Stade Toulousain or Stade Francais. It may be just under three months away - and there is plenty that can happen between now and then - but the anticipation has got this correspondent salivating already.