All three now hold decent advantages at the top of their respective groups, with Pool 2 leaders Exeter and Pool 5 front runners Toulouse six points ahead of their nearest challengers, while Leinster are five points clear in Pool 1.

Exeter came the closest to surrendering their 100 per cent record in Round 3 as they edged their all-English thriller at Sale 22-20 on Sunday, with Akker van der Merwe’s two-try display for the home side in vain.

The Pool 1 clash between Northampton Saints and Leinster was billed as the match of the round, but the Irish province’s European experience proved decisive on Saturday, when they didn’t concede a point in the second half of a seven-try, 43-16 victory.

Fellow four-time winners Toulouse were also comfortable winners in Round 3, their young French international backs, Romain Ntamack and Thomas Ramos, scoring all their points in a 23-9 home win over TOP 14 rivals Montpellier on Sunday.

The two other groups are extremely tight, with Ulster Rugby and Racing 92 leading Pools 3 and 4 respectively by a solitary point, after maintaining their unbeaten records in this season’s tournament in Round 3.

Ulster made it three wins from three games but only just, John Cooney kicking a 78th-minute penalty to snatch a 25-24 home win for the Irish province on Saturday over Harlequins, for whom Elia Elia scored two tries.

Meanwhile, Racing coasted to a 40-19 victory at Ospreys, who had Dan Evans sent off after just 37 seconds and ended up letting in five tries, including two from Teddy Thomas.

The French club are now a point clear of Munster Rugby, who battled to a 10-3 home win over defending champions Saracens on Saturday.

Ulster’s narrow advantage is over ASM Clermont Auvergne, who had kicked off Round 3 last Friday with a 34-17 win at Bath Rugby, debutant Samuel Ezeala notching two of the visitors’ four tries.

Other highlights of Round 3 included Lyon’s first ever Heineken Champions Cup win (their 28-0 home whitewash of Benetton Rugby ended a run of eight defeats), Glasgow Warriors’ gritty fightback from 18-6 down to triumph 27-24 at La Rochelle and Gloucester Rugby’s 26-17 home win over Connacht Rugby.

Leinster Rugby, Exeter Chiefs and Toulouse made significant strides towards the quarter-finals of the Heineken Champions Cup in Round 3 at the weekend by completing their third wins of this season’s competition.