Ulster's Robert Baloucoune, who has been called up to Ireland's Six Nations squad, is pictured in action against Stade Français Paris ©John Dickson/Sportsfile
EPCR has revealed the dates, venues, kick-off times, and broadcast details for the EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16 matches. Connacht, Munster, and Ulster will all be in action over the Easter weekend in early April.
Munster have joined two of their provincial rivals in the Challenge Cup’s knockout stages, following their agonising 31-29 defeat to Castres Olympique which saw them finish fifth in Pool 2 but do enough to extend their European season.
The 10th seeds, Munster will be competing in the Challenge Cup for only the second time. They last played in EPCR’s second tier competition in 2011 when they reached the semi-final stage before bowing out to Harlequins with a 20-12 loss.
On Saturday, April 4, Clayton McMillan’s men will have an early 12.30pm kick-off for their round of 16 clash with Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park. It was four tries apiece when they last met in the Champions Cup in Devon in December 2023, but Exeter prevailed on a 32-24 scoreline.
If the Reds can turn the tables on the English Premiership club, their reward will be a quarter-final trip to Treviso to play Benetton Rugby, or home advantage in the last-eight against Cardiff.
Speaking after Munster’s first Champions Cup pool elimination since 2020, head coach McMillan said: “There is nobody in this building that is happy about receiving the consolation prize of having to go and play in the Challenge Cup but we also understand that, though we have a rich history in the Champions Cup, that history doesn’t give us a rite of passage.
“We have got to earn our right to be there. There’s been lots to be proud about around how our game is progressing but, ultimately, it hasn’t been good enough.
“One thing I think we have been pretty open and honest about right from the get-go, even on the (winning) runs early on in the season, has been (about being) realistic around the performances that we are actually at now.
“We haven’t made the gains that we needed to get through the European Cup. But there’s a long way to go.”
Connacht, who claimed third place in their Challenge Cup pool, will launch the round of 16 on Friday, April 3 (kick-off 8pm). They will stage their first European fixture at Dexcom Stadium since the new Clan Stand’s official opening.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks, the 2024 champions, are the last South African team standing in the tournament, and will make a return trip to Galway after losing 44-17 there in the BKT United Rugby Championship at the end of November.
Stuart Lancaster’s charges twice bounced back from pool defeats with dominant performances against Black Lion (52-0) and US Montauban (75-14). If they make it through to the quarter-finals, French opposition awaits in the form of top seeds Montpellier or Perpignan.
“Obviously delighted to make the last 16,” said Lancaster. “At home as well, so that’s great. Obviously it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster pool stage for us, with the Ospreys game and the Montpellier game, but delighted we got there in the end.
“Delighted with the performance (against Montauban). I think it was the consistency and the cohesion of our attack which pleased me the most, but also I thought we improved a lot defensively.
“You know, we’ve learnt some painful lessons over the last few weeks, but I thought we loosened really well, we had good defensive width, and we made good decisions at the defensive ruck.
“Obviously in attack, our cohesion. Sam Gilbert was excellent, and that sort of multi-phase attack that we’ve been working on in training really came through, particularly in that period between 20 and 40 minutes.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, April 4, Pool 3 winners Ulster will have home advantage against the Ospreys (kick-off 8pm). Richie Murphy’s side are unbeaten at Affidea Stadium this season, with their latest result – last Saturday’s 26-19 triumph over Stade Français Paris – making it six in a row.
Ulster fielded an all-Irish qualified matchday 23, and all four tries were scored by players who have made Ireland’s squad for the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations – Tom O’Toole, Robert Baloucoune, Stuart McCloskey, and uncapped scrum half Nathan Doak.
This is Ulster’s first full season in the Challenge Cup. They were beaten semi-finalists in 2021 after dropping down from the Investec Champions Cup, and lost a quarter-final away to Clermont Auvergne in 2024.
They are due to visit the Ospreys in round 12 of the URC next month, and with Newcastle Red Bulls or La Rochelle their potential Challenge Cup quarter-final opponents should they progress, the province’s captain Iain Henderson is looking forward to the rest of the season with optimism.
“It’s been great to see training throughout the pre-season block, and then obviously through the first number of months of the season, actually seeing training going really well and seeing what we’re doing in training and seeing those young guys and their abilities being put on show at weekends,” he said.
“Has it been perfect? Far from it. There’s been loads of times in games where we look at it and be like, ‘We actually ran that pretty close there, or we got through that by the skin of our teeth’.
“But the fact that we’re doing that and setting ourselves up to be in positions like that to win, I suppose, is much better than in many positions we were in last year.”
Henderson added: “It’s also positive that we came in on Monday (after the Stade Français match) and had plenty to work on. Yes, we’re going well and, yes, we have unbelievable players, but we are by no means a finished article.
“We’re far, far from it. So, we still have loads to work on, and it’s great to have stuff to come in and get pulled up on.”
Fans will be able to watch the Challenge Cup round of 16 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 on S4C in Wales, and all matches will be available on EPCR’s OTT platform EPCRugby.TV.
Friday, April 3 –
CONNACHT RUGBY v Hollywoodbets Sharks, Dexcom Stadium, 8pm
Saturday, April 4 –
Exeter Chiefs v MUNSTER RUGBY, Sandy Park, 12.30pm
Montpellier Hérault Rugby v USAP, Septeo Stadium, 1.30pm local time
Benetton Rugby v Cardiff Rugby, Stadio di Monigo, 6.30pm local time
ULSTER RUGBY v Ospreys, Affidea Stadium, 8pm
Newcastle Red Bulls v Stade Rochelais, Kingston Park, 8pm
Sunday, April 5 –
Stade Français Paris vs Dragons RFC, Stade Jean Bouin, 1.30pm local time
Zebre Parma v Section Paloise, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 6.30pm local time
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