Steve Thompson will lead Northampton into Heineken Cup battle against Biarritz this afternoon amid increasing speculation he could play French Championship rugby next season. The England hooker, a World Cup winner in 2003, still has two years remaining on his existing Northampton contract, but he is known to be keen on a move across the Channel - for lifestyle as much as rugby reasons - with Brive and Toulouse heading the queue of possible destinations.

Thompson's immediate priority is to try to secure an unlikely home quarter-final for the Saints, which they would achieve if they beat Biarritz by a bonus point and score four tries more than the visiting Frenchmen. Wasps' win in Castres has guaranteed them one of the spots, as best runners-up, but Paul Grayson, their coach, said: 'The focus is on winning the game. We could go out there, score four tries and shut them out to top the table. I am not saying that is impossible or very probable, but we are going out to play and win.'

Centre David Quinlan has recovered from a hand injury to partner Ben Cohen in midfield, but prop Tom Smith is sidelined due to a sore wrist, meaning a chance in the front row with Chris Budgen coming in alongside Thompson and Pat Barnard.

Grayson added: 'I have played in some good victories against Biarritz, and I know what we do on the pitch reflects how much noise comes out of the stands.'

Llanelli Scarlets head into today's Pool 5 finale against Stradey Park visitors London Irish having already clinched a quarter-final place and home advantage. Their aim now is simply to secure a sixth successive victory.

Wales failed to provide a quarter-finalist during each of the past two European campaigns, but Llanelli have spectacularly ended that barren spell. Scarlets No 8 Alix Popham said: 'We can definitely do something in this competition now. It is great for Welsh rugby that we are through and we are at home in the last eight, which makes a massive difference.'

Further positive developments for Welsh rugby are in the offing, with Gareth Thomas signing for the Cardiff Blues from Toulouse for next season. He had wanted to return last year, following his health scare, which was described as a mini-stroke. 'Wales is where I am from, it's where my family are and it's where I want to end my career. I've loved my time in France, but I want to return to Wales.'

London Irish, already eliminated from the tournament, make several changes following last Saturday's narrow home defeat against Toulouse, including call-ups for centre Nils Mordt and wing Justin Bishop, who replace injured duo Gonzalo Tiesi and Dominic Shabbo.

In tomorrow's other Heineken Cup games, Ulster visit Toulouse, while Italian outfit Overmach Parma hope to break their Pool Six points duck when they host Border Reivers.

Stade Francais, as expected, took their place in the quarter-finals with a bonus-point win over Calvisano in Paris. They scored seven tries in the end for a 47-6 win. Farther south, Perpignan secured second spot in Pool 1, behind Wasps, with a 45-25 win over Treviso. But little good it does them, as their final tally of 18 points is not enough to earn them a best runners-up spot.