Investec Champions Cup quarter finals: Match by-match guide
The Investec Champions Cup is gearing up for an epic showdown between European heavyweights in this weekend’s quarter finals. From the 11-13 April, rivalries will be reignited and exciting match-ups are on the horizon, with a place in the semi-finals at stake, and ultimately, a spot at Cardiff’s 2025 Finals.
- Leinster Rugby and Glasgow Warriors get the weekend’s action underway on Friday night at the Aviva Stadium
- Unbeaten Union Bordeaux-Bègles host the Red Army of Munster Rugby to kick of Saturday’s action
- Northampton Saints and Castres Olympique rekindle their Round 1 rivalry at cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens
- Sunday sees a mighty clash of the French giants, as defending champions Stade Toulousain travel to three-time winners RC Toulon
See the match-by-match preview statistics below, and the general round preview HERE.
KEY MATCH INFORMATION
Leinster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors
Friday, April 11 – Aviva Stadium (21.00)
CLICK HERE for Leinster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors preview statistics.
The quarter finals are set to begin win an exciting clash, as last years’ URC Champions Glasgow Warriors head to the Aviva Stadium to face Irish powerhouse Leinster Rugby, with international stars featured in both squads.
The Scottish team delivered a real statement of intent in the Round of 16, with a six-try defeat over Leicester Tigers to set up the quarter-final between the two sides. And while taking on Leinster Rugby represents a challenge for the Glasgow team, head coach Franco Smith is confident in the depth of talent in his squad: “A lot of our team played (at the Aviva) last year in the Six Nations. Let’s step up to the plate now. We are going to try and give it a full go.”
Leinster Rugby are currently unbeaten in the Investec Champions Cup this season, however Coach Leo Cullen highlighted the oppositions away form: “Glasgow are obviously URC champions and going really well under Franco Smith. They have so much experience from Scottish internationals littered throughout their squad and dynamic in the way they play.
“You saw particularly away from home last season, (in URC) winning away in Thomond in the semi-final, and then they won away in Loftus in the final, so they are pretty comfortable being on the road. They have a hell of a lot of threats across the board.”
The two have plenty of history in the competition having met eight times previously, however they haven’t come head-to-head since 2018.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles v Munster Rugby
Saturday, April 12 – Stade Chaban-Delmas (16.00)
CLICK HERE for Union Bordeaux-Bègles v Munster Rugby preview statistics.
The Red Army of Munster Rugby will take on Union Bordeaux-Bègles at Stade Chaban-Delmas to kick off Saturdays action.
Munster Rugby secured passage to the quarter finals thanks in part to Jack Crowley’s expert drop goal sending them through at the expense of Stade Rochelais by just one point – a moment which Ronan O’Gara hailed as ‘brilliant’, saying: “It was pretty ironic how they won it, getting it out to eight points with a peach of a drop-goal. I’ve seen a lot of good drop goals but that’s a top-class one.”
Like Leinster Rugby, hosts Union Bordeaux-Bègles are unbeaten in the competition so far this season, having seen off Ulster Rugby last Sunday to secure their place in the quarter finals.
Munster Rugby have won the Champions Cup twice, in 2006 and 2008, while Union Bordeaux-Bègles have never progressed beyond the semi-final, where they were knocked out by Stade Toulousain in 2021. However, their strong form this season has firmly positioned them as one of the favourites and having never met Munster Rugby in the competition previously, it’s set to be a huge encounter.
Northampton Saints v Castres Olympique
Saturday, April 12 – cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens (18.30)
CLICK HERE for Northampton Saints v Castres Olympique preview statistics.
Premiership Champions Northampton Saints booked their place in the last eight with a superb 46-24 win against Clermont Auvergne at home last weekend. They now look forward to another home tie, against a Castres Olympique side who secured their place in the quarter finals for the first time since 2002 when Jeremy Fernandez converted his own try in the final minute to win 39-37 against Benetton Rugby.
The two sides have plenty of history in the competition having met 11 times previously. The most recent was in this season’s opening Round of the Investec Champions Cup, with Northampton Saints delivering a dominant performance at home defeating Castres Olympique 38-8. Rivalries will now be renewed as last season’s semi-finalists Northampton will be looking to that home advantage again.
RC Toulon v Stade Toulousain
Sunday, April 13 – Stade Félix Mayol (17.00)
CLICK HERE for RC Toulon v Stade Toulousain preview statistics
Sunday’s match will see a mighty clash of the French giants, as defending champions Stade Toulousain travel to rivals and three-time winners RC Toulon in their battle for the semi finals and their first ever Investec Champions Cup meeting.
RC Toulon booked their place in the quarter finals with an outstanding 10-try win over Saracens, while Stade Toulousain saw off Sale Sharks with a dominate second-half performance.
Playing away from home, Stade Toulousain’s Jack Willis’ says this season is a whole different challenge to last: “It’s a different route to last year, when we had a ‘home’ run-in. This year will be different – away game after away game. We’ll have to be at our best if we want to win next weekend.”
The two have taken one win a piece off each other in their TOP 14 clashes this season, and there’s no doubt this French derby will be a mouth-watering contest.
Every quarter final match will be televised live across several platforms, including Premier Sports in the UK and Ireland, beIN SPORTS in France, SuperSport in South Africa, and FloRugby in the USA and Canada. Fans in France will also enjoy select free-to-air coverage on France Télévisions, while RTÉ in Ireland and EPCR’s OTT platform, EPCRugby.TV, will provide additional coverage. EPCRugby.TV is the exclusive home of the Investec Champions Cup in Italy.
Investec Champions Cup key links
