Round Of 16 Date and Time Confirmed
EPCR have now unveiled the dates, venues, kick-off times, and TV coverage for the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 fixtures. Munster Rugby will face Stade Rochelais on Saturday, April 5, at Stade Marcel Deflandre, 6.30pm (local time).
Heading into what promises to be an electrifying knockout stage on the road to the Cardiff Final at the Principality Stadium on 24 May, the stage is set for an unforgettable battle for the silverware. With 36 EPCR titles between them, the remaining clubs are stacked with talent, including nine former Champions Cup winners still fighting for glory.
Every Round of 16 match will be televised live by Premier Sports in the UK and Ireland, beIN SPORTS in France, SuperSport in South Africa and by FloRugby in the USA and Canada. Additional free-to-air coverage will be available for select matches in France on France Télévisions and RTÉ in Ireland, as well as select matches available on EPCR’s OTT platform EPCRugby.TV. EPCRugby.TV is also the exclusive home of the Investec Champions Cup in Italy.
The action gets underway on Friday 4 April at cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens, as Pool 3 table-toppers and the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions, Northampton Saints, welcome French giants ASM Clermont Auvergne, with the visitors looking to build on their vital win against Bristol Bears to secure their place in the Quarter-Finals.
Saturday’s showdowns kick off with an epic clash of two three-time champions, RC Toulon and Saracens, at Stade Félix Mayol. RC Toulon clinched the number one spot in their pool, despite a setback against an unstoppable Sale Sharks in Round 4. Meanwhile Saracens final Round loss at home to Castres Olympique ultimately saw the English side qualify 13th.
Next up is a return to the iconic Croke Park as Leinster Rugby host a determined Harlequins side on a mission to defeat the Dublin giants and progress beyond the Round of 16 for only the second time in their history. The south-west London side have proven they can cause an upset when they de-railed Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the quarter-finals last season.
Next, it’s the turn of Castres Olympique and Benetton Rugby at Stade Pierre-Fabre. Arguably the biggest surprises of the pool stages, both clubs proved they are the real deal this season. The French side had an impressive three-win pool stage, which helped them on their way to the knockouts for the first time since 2002. Meanwhile the Italians claimed big-time victories over Bath Rugby and Stade Rochelais to progress to the Champions Cup knockouts for the first time in history.
Ronan O’Gara’s two-time champions Stade Rochelais will face Munster Rugby at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. With the man in charge of the Les Maritimes having steered their opposition twice to Champions Cup glory, this will be a huge game.
Kicking off shortly after, another thrilling contest is expected as the reigning URC Champions, Glasgow Warriors, host two-time champions Leicester Tigers in their maiden home knockout match as they look to progress beyond the first round of the knockouts for the first time, with both clubs eager to realise their ambitions in this competition.
Sunday’s action begins with top-ranked Union Bordeaux-Bègles hosting Ulster Rugby at Stade Chaban-Delmas. Bordeaux completed a perfect run in the pool stage, winning all their matches with try bonus points and French superstar Damian Penaud setting a new record for tries in one match, making this a challenging away fixture for the Irish side.
The Round of 16 concludes with six-time champions Stade Toulousain welcoming Sale Sharks. The reigning champions have had a near-flawless pool stage, and while Sale are certainly the underdogs, they will draw confidence from their stand-out performance against RC Toulon. That result will surely boost the Manchester-based team’s confidence as they face this tough challenge.
INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP Round of 16
(Pool stage rankings in brackets / All kick-offs local times)
Friday 4 April
Match 3: Northampton Saints (3) v ASM Clermont Auvergne (14), cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens (20.00)
Premier Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Saturday 5 April
Match 4: RC Toulon (4) v Saracens (13), Stade Félix Mayol (13.30)
beIN SPORTS / Premier Sports / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 2: Leinster Rugby (2) v Harlequins (15), Croke Park (15.00)
RTE / Premier Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 6: Castres Olympique (6) v Benetton Rugby (11), Stade Pierre-Fabre (16.00)
beIN SPORTS / France TV / EPCRugby.TV / PremierSports / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 8: Stade Rochelais (8) v Munster Rugby (9), Stade Marcel Deflandre (18.30)
beIN SPORTS / PremierSports / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 7: Glasgow Warriors (7) v Leicester Tigers (10), Scotstoun Stadium (20.00)
Premier Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Sunday 6 April
Match 1: Union Bordeaux-Bègles (1) v Ulster Rugby (16), Stade Chaban-Delmas (13.30)
beIN SPORTS / PremierSports / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 5: Stade Toulousain (5) v Sale Sharks (12), Stadium Municipal de Toulouse (16.00)
France TV / beIN SPORTS / Premier Sports / SuperSport / Flo Rugby
Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April
QF 1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 8
QF 2: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 7
QF 3: Winner R16 3 v Winner R16 6
QF 4: Winner R16 4 v Winner R16 5
NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage
Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
NB The matches will be played in Europe and where relevant the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage
2025 Investec Champions Cup Final – Saturday 24 May, Principality Stadium, Cardiff (14:45 local time).
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