Dean Richards, twice a Heineken Cup winning coach with Leicester, has guided Harlequins to their fist quarter-final since 1998.

And that will come as no surprise to those who follow the game as Richards’ tactical nous is second to none. He bought Kiwi stand-off Nick Evans to the Stoop and it was that man who stood firm to kick one of the most memorable drop goals in Heineken Cup history.

Evans was at the heart of the action as his team probed their way forward with 23 phase move that culminated in the 82nd minute drop goal that completed a double win over Stade Francais Paris.

With the French side effectively knocked out of the competition, Pool 4 was Quins’ to lose and, despite slipping up with a fifth round defeat in Ulster, they went on to capture the Pool and qualify as third seeds.

Leinster also won their Pool – albeit with a 4-2 record and that meant they qualified for the final eight as sixth seeds.

So often in recent times Leinster have impressed in the Pool stage but have fallen short in the knockout part of the competition. This is the first time these sides have met in European rugby.