Champions Cup Round Of 16 Fixtures Confirmed For Leinster And Munster
A view of the Champions Cup trophy at the Aviva Stadium prior to Leinster's recent pool win over Stade Francais ©INPHO/Ben Brady
Leinster will have Saturday night billing when they host Leicester Tigers in the Investec Champions Cup round of 16, while Munster’s early April trip to Northampton Saints will take place the following afternoon.
Following a tension-packed conclusion to last weekend’s final pool matches, tournament organisers EPCR have announced the dates, venues, kick-off times, and TV coverage of the round of 16 fixtures.
Saturday, April 6 will see Leinster, the top-ranked team from the BKT United Rugby Championship, entertain Leicester at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 8pm) in a repeat of last Saturday’s pool game which Leo Cullen’s men won 27-10.
The teams know each other very well, having also clashed at the quarter-final stage in the previous two seasons. First-quarter tries from Josh van der Flier and Robbie Henshaw steered the province to a 23-14 victory at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in May 2022.
Last April Leicester succumbed to a 55-24 quarter-final defeat at the Aviva Stadium, as Leinster tallied up seven tries, and out-half Ross Byrne finished with a handsome 18-point haul from eight successful kicks out of eight.
Notably, if Leinster can end Leicester’s interest in this season’s tournament post-Easter, they will have a home quarter-final against either the DHL Stormers or La Rochelle, the reigning champions whom they defeated 16-9 during last month’s first round.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, April 7, Munster’s round of 16 rematch with Pool 3 winners Northampton will kick off at 12.30pm. It will be their first trip to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens since December 2022 when Gavin Coombes touched down twice in a 17-6 pool triumph.
Graham Rowntree’s side will have revenge on their minds after losing 26-23 to 14-man Saints at Thomond Park last Saturday. Munster have a long European history with Northampton, stretching back to their heart-breaking 2000 final loss at Twickenham.
The Reds have enjoyed some standout moments in big games against Northampton, with Ronan O’Gara producing the match-winning drop goal at the end of an incredible 41 phases in 2011. Memorably, Simon Zebo was a hat-trick hero the following January at Franklin’s Gardens.
Northampton, the current Gallagher Premiership leaders, have reached the Champions Cup’s knockout stages for the first time since 2020. If Munster prevail in early April, they would set up a quarter-final trip to either the Vodacom Bulls or Lyon.
Every round of 16 match will be televised live by TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, by beIN Sports in France, by SuperSport in South Africa, and by FloRugby in the USA and Canada.
Two of the Champions Cup contests on the weekend of April 5/6/7 will be broadcast free-to-air in France by France Télévisions, while ITV in the UK and Ireland, and RTÉ in Ireland, will each televise one match free-to-air.
The highest-ranked teams from the pool stages have home advantage in the round of 16 and the quarter-finals, and home country advantage in the semi-finals which will be played in Europe.
INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP ROUND OF 16:
– Seeding number in brackets/Kick-offs are local time
Friday, April 5:
R16 5: Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12), Twickenham Stoop, 8pm (TNT Sports /beIN Sports/SuperSport/FloRugby)
Saturday, April 6:
R16 6: Vodacom Bulls (6) v Lyon (11), Loftus Versfeld, 1.30pm (SuperSport/beIN Sports/TNT Sports/FloRugby)
R16 8: Exeter Chiefs (8) v Bath (9), Sandy Park, 3pm (TNT Sports/beIN Sports/SuperSport/FloRugby)
R16 7: DHL Stormers (7) v La Rochelle (10), DHL Stadium, 4pm (SuperSport/beIN Sports/France TV/TNT Sports/FloRugby)
R16 4: Bordeaux-Bègles (4) v Saracens (13), Stade Chaban-Delmas, 6.30pm (beIN Sports/TNT Sports/SuperSport/FloRugby)
R16 2: LEINSTER (2) v Leicester Tigers (15), Aviva Stadium, 8pm (RTÉ/TNT Sports/beIN Sports/SuperSport/FloRugby)
Sunday, April 7:
R16 3: Northampton Saints (3) v MUNSTER (14), cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, 12.30pm (ITV/TNT Sports/beIN Sports/SuperSport/FloRugby)
R16 1: Toulouse (1) v Racing 92 (16), Le Stadium, 4pm (France TV/beIN Sports/TNT Sports/SuperSport/Flo Rugby)
QUARTER-FINALS:
– The quarter-finals (April 12/13/14) will be played over one match and the highest-ranked teams from the pool stages will have home venue advantage
QF 1: Winner R16 1 (Toulouse (1)/Racing 92 (16)) v Winner R16 8 (Exeter Chiefs (8)/Bath (9))
QF 2: Winner R16 2 (LEINSTER (2)/Leicester Tigers (15)) v Winner R16 7 (DHL Stormers (7)/La Rochelle (10))
QF 3: Winner R16 3 (Northampton Saints (3)/Munster (14)) v Winner R16 6 (Vodacom Bulls (6)/Lyon (11))
QF 4: Winner R16 4 (Bordeaux-Bègles (4)/Saracens (13)) v Winner R16 5 (Harlequins (5)/Glasgow Warriors (12))
SEMI-FINALS:
– The semi-finals (May 3/4/5) will be played in Europe and the highest-ranked teams from the pool stages will have home country advantage
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
FINAL:
The 2024 final will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London on Saturday, May 25 (kick-off 2.45pm). Click here for ticket information.
NB: In the event of drawn matches at the end of normal time during the knockout stages, extra-time will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra-time, the winner will be determined as follows:
(a) the team that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra-time) or
(b) if equal, by a place kick competition