Following a tension-packed conclusion to last weekend’s pool stage when there was something at stake in all 12 matches, EPCR can now announce the dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage of the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 fixtures.
Heading into what promises to be a dramatic knockout stage on the road to the London Finals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the weekend of 24/25 May, the elite clubs who remain in contention for silverware have 29 EPCR titles between them with as many as nine previous Champions Cup winners still in the mix.
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 Investec Champions Cup contests on the weekend of 5/6/7 April will be broadcast free-to-air in France by France Télévisions, while ITV in the UK and Ireland, and RTE in Ireland, will each televise one match free-to-air.
Stade Toulousain, five-time tournament winners and this season’s No 1-ranked club, go head-to-head with their TOP 14 rivals, Racing 92, at Le Stadium on Sunday, 7 April, and the highest-ranked Gallagher Premiership club, the in-form Northampton Saints, clash with Munster Rugby at the cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens also on Sunday, 7 April.
Leinster Rugby, the top-ranked club from the United Rugby Championship, are up against old foes, Leicester Tigers, at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 6 April and the holders, Stade Rochelais, will travel to Cape Town to take on the DHL Stormers on the same day.
Also on Saturday, 6 April, the Vodacom Bulls will be at home at Loftus Versfeld against Lyon, the Exeter Chiefs host Bath Rugby in an intriguing all-Gallagher Premiership contest, and Stade Chaban-Delmas will be the venue for the clash of Union Bordeaux-Bègles and Saracens.
The Round of 16 kicks-off on the evening of Friday, 5 April when Harlequins meet Glasgow Warriors at the Twickenham Stoop.
The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage have home advantage in the Round of 16 and the quarter-final matches, and home country advantage in the semi-finals which will be played in Europe.
INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP
Round of 16
(Pool stage rankings in brackets / All kick-offs local times)
Friday 5 April
Match 5: Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12), Twickenham Stoop (20.00)
TNT Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Saturday 6 April
Match 6: Vodacom Bulls (6) v Lyon (11), Loftus Versfeld (13.30)
SuperSport / beIN SPORTS / TNT Sports / FloRugby
Match 8: Exeter Chiefs (8) v Bath Rugby (9), Sandy Park (15.00)
TNT Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 7: DHL Stormers (7) v Stade Rochelais (10), DHL Stadium (16.00)
SuperSport / beIN SPORTS / France TV / TNT Sports / FloRugby
Match 4: Union Bordeaux-Bègles (4) v Saracens (13), Stade Chaban-Delmas (18.30)
beIN SPORTS / TNT Sports / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 2: Leinster Rugby (2) v Leicester Tigers (15), Aviva Stadium (20.00)
RTE / TNT Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Sunday 7 April
Match 3: Northampton Saints (3) v Munster Rugby (14), cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens (12.30)
ITV / TNT Sports / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / FloRugby
Match 1: Stade Toulousain (1) v Racing 92 (16), Le Stadium (16.00)
France TV / beIN SPORTS / TNT Sports / SuperSport / Flo Rugby
Quarter-finals - 12/13/14 April
QF 1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 8
QF 2: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 7
QF 3: Winner R16 3 v Winner R16 6
QF 4: Winner R16 4 v Winner R16 5
NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage
Semi-finals - 3/4/5 May
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
NB The matches will be played in Europe and where relevant the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage
2024 Investec Champions Cup final - Saturday 25 May; Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (14.45)