For the first time in the tournament’s history, the Champions Cup will see one-off Last 16 games played to decide who progresses to the quarter-finals.
Although the new format of the competition has had its fair share of criticism, this weekend will see eight hugely exciting clashes and the intriguing addition of South African teams at the knockout stage.
The Sharks take on Munster (12:30pm) in the first of two games in the rainbow nation on Saturday, before the intriguing trip of Harlequins to Stormers (3:00pm).
Both South African sides will be favoured to win these games, but Munster’s Champions Cup pedigree has seen them win knockout games they were previously unfancied to win many times before, while Quins will benefit greatly from the hot, dry conditions expected in Cape Town on Saturday.
Before those two games, Leicester Tigers host Edinburgh (7:45pm) on Friday night, with the two sides in radically different spells of form. Since their hugely impressive win in the final game of this tournament’s group stage against Saracens, Edinburgh have lost all four games they have played, conceding more than 40 points in each of their last three.
In contrast, Tigers have won their last five, winning each of their last three by more than 20. It would be a huge upset if Mike Blair’s men could win at Welford Road, but Leicester will not be counting their chickens whatsoever after they were unexpectedly beaten at home by lower-mid-table URC opposition in their last game in the tournament, a home defeat to Ospreys.
After the two South African-hosted games on Saturday, last year’s finalists will be hotly-tipped to win their home matches that simultaneously kick off at 5:30pm, as Leinster host Ulster and defending champions La Rochelle invite Gloucester into their routinely sold out cauldron, Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
In both games the hosts topped their respective pools, while the visitors needed to come from behind in their final pool games to secure the last remaining spot of their pool in the knockout stages.
It all points to a predictable outcome in both cases, but there are no certainties in knockout sport and the eight domestic defeats La Rochelle have suffered this season will give Gloucester some confidence, while Ulster may appreciate the slightly more neutral feel that the Aviva Stadium will bring, albeit being something of a second home for Leinster.
Sunday follows a similar pattern to the rest of the weekend, in that it will be the home sides who are largely expected to win. Though their domestic form has been hugely inconsistent, Exeter Chiefs will be confident of beating Montpellier in the 12:30pm kick-off to be shown on ITV 1, with Montpellier currently sat ninth in the domestic league they won last year and having been fortunate to even progress this far in the Champions Cup.
That’s followed by unenviable visits for Ospreys to Saracens and Bulls to Toulouse (both 3:00pm). Saracens have won all 11 Premiership and European home games they have this season while Toulouse are unbeaten in 12.
If either of the away sides were to win late on Sunday afternoon it would be one of the great European Rugby upsets, but with Ospreys having already recorded a famous win at Leicester Tigers earlier in the campaign they will hope they can down another English giant.
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