Investec Champions Cup: Five talking points ahead of knockouts including historic win, 'Test match' battle
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Published 05/04/2024 at 11:47 GMT
The business end of the season has arrived as the Investec Champions Cup knockout stage kicks off this weekend. With a historic win to be claimed, revenge on offer in rematches aplenty and a 'Test match' battle in Cape Town, we run you through some of the main talking points ahead of a blockbuster round of 16. All eight matches are live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Owen Farrell played in Saracens' defeat at Bordeaux Begles, as speculation continues about his future
Image credit: Getty Images
The wait is over. After the Six Nations put domestic and European rugby on hold for a couple of months, the Investec Champions Cup comes roaring back this weekend with the round of 16.
With former champions clashing, revenge to be claimed and historic quarter-final berths to be taken, there are storylines waiting to be written across the weekend.
The action begins on Friday night when Harlequins face Glasgow Warriors at the Stoop, before five matches on Saturday and two on Sunday complete a bumper weekend.
TNT Sports will be with you for every step, with all eight round of 16 matches being shown live across our channels and discovery+.
So what are the biggest talking points to look out for? We run you through some of the key moments coming up in the next few days.
Can Glasgow take domestic form into Europe?
History will be made one way or another on Friday night when Glasgow Warriors head south to face Harlequins, with both sides looking to win a Champions Cup knockout tie for the first time.
Twice quarter-finalists in the era before a round of 16 was introduced, the Scots fell to Saracens on both occasions to make it three knockout defeats from three after losing to Leicester in the 1990s.
Quins' record is even worse: the Londoners have lost all six of their knockout Champions Cup games, including last 16 exits in both of the last two years.
Glasgow come into the game as the form side and will run out at the Stoop on Friday night full of confidence after a thumping 45-3 win over Scarlets on Saturday extended their winning run to five matches.
Franco Smith’s side are flying high in the URC, sitting second in the standings, but they still have it all to prove in Europe against a Quins team coming off a heart-stopping 40-36 win over Bath at the weekend that sent them fourth in the Gallager Premiership.
‘Test team’ La Rochelle face daunting test of title defence
Two-time defending champions La Rochelle remain on course for a record-equalling third Champions Cup win in a row, but they face a big obstacle in the form of the Stormers.
The Cape Town side are looking to make their mark in only the second season of South African sides competing in Europe’s top competition, after going out to Exeter Chiefs in the quarter-finals last year.
They face a familiar foe, as the two sides locked horns during the pool stage, when a last-gasp Manie Libbok conversion sealed a dramatic 21-20 victory for the Stormers at the DHL Stadium.
Three-and-a-half months later, Ronan O’Gara’s star-studded squad travel south looking for revenge and Stormers Director of Rugby is in no doubt about the task ahead.
“It’s going to be a Test match next week. They are one of the best club teams in the world, better than most Test teams. They would be in the top 10 of World Rugby’s rankings without any stress,” he said.
Saracens seeking revenge in Bordeaux after historic low
Three-time champions Saracens have had an up and down campaign, with the news of Owen Farrell’s end-of-season departure for Racing 92 coming after inconsistent form plagued the start of their Premiership title defence.
But the lowest moment so far was without doubt their trip to Bordeaux in January, where they were on the receiving end of a 55-15 hiding that marked a club record European defeat.
The French hosts ran in nine tries as they went past a half-century, although Sarries responded by beating Lyon to squeeze through and set up a rematch.
Sarries reminded everyone of their ability when they turned on the style at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 52-7 thrashing of Harlequins recently, but followed that up with a 41-30 defeat at Northampton Saints and their search for consistency continues.
Bordeaux were one of the sensations of the pool stage, topping a fiercely competitive Pool A by scoring 172 points in four games after wins over Sarries, Connacht and Bristol Bears before a narrow defeat to the Bulls.
European heavyweights clash in Dublin
Another highly-anticipated rematch will take place in Dublin, where Leinster’s bid to reclaim the crown they last won in 2017-18 after back-to-back runners-up finishes sees them come up against Leicester Tigers.
The two sides faced off as recently as January, when the Irish side claimed a 27-10 victory at Welford Road.
The URC leaders, who have won 11 and lost two this season in the league, will go into Saturday night’s clash under the lights at the Aviva Stadium as big favourites against an inconsistent Tigers outfit.
But the visit of the two-time champions from the Midlands marks the most decorated clash of the last 16, with the two sides boasting six titles between them – albeit Leicester’s most recent came in 2002, while Leinster’s most distant was in 2009.
Can Munster halt the momentum of free-scoring Saints?
There have been few better teams to watch in full flow this season than Northampton Saints, who go into their clash with URC champions Munster in the form of their lives.
Saints won 10 games in a row between November and March until they were stunningly stopped by Bristol in a 52-21 defeat when the Premiership resumed following the Six Nations break.
Not to be deterred, they dusted themselves down and put 41 points on Saracens to get back to winning ways last weekend.
This free-flowing side, which has averaged 37 points per game in their last five, will back itself to score tries from anywhere and it will be intriguing to see what a savvy Munster side can bring to stop them.
There was little to separate the sides when they last met in the pool stage in mid-January, 14-man Saints edging to a famous 26-23 victory on that occasion in Limerick.
If that game, where Northampton fought back from behind to win despite having Curtis Langdon sent off before half-time, was anything to go by, Sunday’s clash at Franklin’s Gardens will be an unmissable event.
Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 fixtures
Friday, April 5 (all times UK time)
- 20:00: Harlequins v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday, April 6
- 12:30: Bulls v Lyon
- 15:00: Exeter Chiefs v Bath
- 15:00: Stormers v La Rochelle
- 17:30: Bordeaux Begles v Saracens
- 20:00: Leinster v Leicester Tigers
Sunday, April 7
- 12:30: Northampton Saints v Munster
- 15:00: Toulouse v Racing 92
How to watch the Investec Champions Cup on TNT Sports and discovery+
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
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TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media
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