All you need to know about EPCR last eight showdowns
- Edinburgh Rugby and Vodacom Bulls kick off Saturday’s action at Hive Stadium in the Scottish capital
- Ospreys welcome Lyon Olympique Universitaire to Swansea.com Stadium
- Unbeaten Connacht Rugby host French heavyweights Racing 92
- The weekend concludes with a tantalising English derby between Bath Rugby and Gloucester Rugby
Four captivating matches await on the 12 and 13 April, as the EPCR Challenge Cup gears up for an epic quarter final showdown. With a coveted spot in the semi-finals on the line – and ultimately, a spot at Cardiff’s 2025 Finals
See the match-by-match preview statistics below, and the general round preview HERE.
KEY MATCH INFORMATION
Edinburgh Rugby v Vodacom Bulls
Saturday, April 12, Hive Stadium (13.30)
CLICK HERE for Edinburgh Rugby v Vodacom Bulls preview statistics.
The quarter finals are set to begin win an exciting clash as Edinburgh Rugby welcome Vodacom Bulls to the Scottish capital.
Edinburgh Rugby booked their place in the last eight with a superb 21-12 win against Emirates Lions at home last weekend. They now look forward to another home tie, against a Vodacom Bulls side who kept South African interest alive after securing their place in the quarter finals with a win away at Aviron Bayonnais.
Ospreys v Lyon Olympique Universitaire
Saturday, April 12, Swansea.com Stadium (18.30)
CLICK HERE for Ospreys v Lyon Olympique Universitaire preview statistics.
Ospreys booked their place by ousting fellow countrymen Scarlets on Sunday evening, exacting revenge for their URC defeat the previous weekend. 2022 champions Lyon Olympique Universitaire also impressed in the Round of 16, beating defending champions Hollywoodbets Sharks in front of a home crowd.
The two sides have met twice previously in the competition in 2017 and 2016, with Ospreys winning both encounters.
Connacht Rugby v Racing 92
Saturday, April 12, Dexcom Stadium (21.00)
CLICK HERE for Connacht Rugby v Racing 92 preview statistics.
Connacht Rugby will welcome French powerhouse Racing 92 in their quarter final clash at Dexcom Stadium.
Connacht qualified after a head-earned victory over familiar foes Cardiff Rugby, while Racing 92 had an equally tough challenge in Perpignan against USAP to book their place.
The Irish have been clear that their ambition this season is a European trophy, and Irish international Mack Hansen was full of confidence in his team after beating Cardiff: “We have a real believe that we can win this. Racing (92) is going to be a huge challenge for us, they are such a high-profile team. Even though we are at home we are probably going to be the underdogs, but you know what we love that. As I said, there is a new passion and pride around this team, we’ve really turned a corner and we’re ready to win this thing.”
Top seeds Connacht Rugby remain undefeated in the EPCR Challenge Cup this season, while Racing 92 qualified after finishing fifth in their Investec Champions Cup pool. They will head to Galway, aiming to claim an Irish victory. They two sides have only met once in the competition previously, back in 1998, where Racing 92 beat Connacht Rugby at the Dexcom Stadium, 14-19.
Bath Rugby v Gloucester Rugby
Sunday 13 April, The Recreation Ground (18.30)
CLICK HERE for Bath Rugby v Gloucester Rugby preview statistics.
The weekend wraps up with an all-English quarter final between Premiership rivals, Bath Rugby and Gloucester Rugby.
Bath Rugby, who dropped down from the Investec Champions Cup to the EPCR Challenge Cup for the Round of 16, reached the quarter finals after a dominant 49-24 away victory over Section Paloise on Friday night. Gloucester Rugby earnt their spot after a resilient 24-17 victory at Montpellier Hérault Rugby, digging deep to come back from a 14-point deficit to claim the win.
The two teams have never clashed in the EPCR Challenge Cup before, however they already met twice in the Premiership this season, with Bath coming out on top in both encounters.
Fans will be able to watch the action on Premier Sports in the UK and Ireland, beIN SPORTS in France, SuperSport in South Africa and FloRugby in the USA and Canada. Additional free-to-air coverage will be available in France on France Télévisions and S4C in Wales, as well as select matches available on EPCR’s OTT platform EPCRugby.TV, which is also the home exclusively for the EPCR Challenge Cup in Italy.
CLICK HERE to find out where to watch the EPCR Challenge Cup.
EPCR Challenge Cup key links
