Irish Rugby Set For Champions Cup Doubler Header On Saturday, April 1
As the dust settles on another dramatic conclusion to the pool stages, a select band of elite clubs with no fewer than 25 European titles between them will be targeting silverware in just over two months’ time following EPCR’s announcement today of the dates, venues, kick-off times and television coverage for the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
The countdown to the Edinburgh finals will begin in earnest on Friday, March 31 when Edinburgh and La Rochelle clash in the first of the Challenge Cup quarter-finals at BT Murrayfield live on Sky Sports, and then the following day, the Champions Cup will be under the spotlight again with a mouthwatering confrontation between Leinster and Wasps at the Aviva Stadium live on BT Sport.
Also on Saturday, April 1, Munster and Toulouse – past tournament winners who have each qualified for the knockout stage a record 16 times – will meet in a heavyweight bout at Thomond Park, while holders Saracens are in action on Sunday, April 2 when they take on quarter-final first-timers Glasgow Warriors at Allianz Park.
The Champions Cup weekend will be rounded off later the same day when number 1 seeds Clermont Auvergne go head-to-head with Toulon at Stade Marcel Michelin in a repeat of the 2013 and 2015 finals.
In the Challenge Cup, Bath are up against Brive at the Recreation Ground on Saturday, April 1 in a rerun of their historic 1998 European Cup final, and on the same day, two tournament winners Gloucester and Cardiff Blues will lock horns at Kingsholm.
Fresh from their record-breaking maximum 30 points in the pool stages, the top-seeded Ospreys clash with Stade Francais on Sunday, April 2 at a venue which will be confirmed in the near future.
All eight quarter-finals will be broadcast live with the coverage shared by BT Sport, Sky Sports, beIN Sports and France Télévisions.
2016/17 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
Saturday, April 1 –
Quarter-Final 2: LEINSTER v Wasps, Aviva Stadium, 3.15pm (live BT Sport/beIN Sports)
Quarter-Final 4: MUNSTER v Toulouse, Thomond Park, 5.45pm (live Sky Sports/beIN Sports)
Sunday, April 2 –
Quarter-Final 3: Saracens v Glasgow Warriors, Allianz Park, 1pm (live Sky Sports/beIN Sports)
Quarter-Final 1: Clermont Auvergne v Toulon, Stade Marcel Michelin, 4.15pm local time (live FR2/BT Sport/beIN Sports)
Semi-Final 1 – winners of QF 1: Clermont Auvergne v Toulon will play the winners of QF 2: Leinster v Wasps
Semi-Final 2 – winners of QF 3: Saracens v Glasgow Warriors will play the winners of QF 4: Munster v Toulouse
(Matches to be played on April 22-23)
Champions Cup Final: Saturday, May 13, BT Murrayfield, kick-off 5pm