All the details you need for the Champions and Challenge Cup knockout line-ups
Heineken Champions Cup Quarter-Finals Confirmed
The final round of pool matches in the 2018-19 Heienken Champions Cup have been played and we now know the make-up of the last eight.
Saracens have qualified for the quarter-finals as top seeds and are the only unbeaten team left in the competition, finishing the pool stages with a 38-19 victory over Glasgow to make it six wins from six. They will play the Warriors – the third best group runners-up – again in the last eight.
Edinburgh’s win over Montpellier on Friday secured Glasgow’s qualification as well as their own – the first time two Scottish sides have made the European Cup knockout stages.
Their reward? A home quarter-final against Munster, who beat Exeter 9-7 in the Pool Two decider on Saturday night. Munster have beaten them already this season in the Guinness Pro14 in Cork, but in Europe they will meet at Murrayfield.
Tee off: Simon Zebo celebrates coring a try for Racing against Scarlets (Getty Images)
Racing 92 beat Scarlets 46-33 to secure a home quarter-final in Paris against Toulouse in an all-French tie while Leinster, who beat Wasps 37-19 in their last group game to top Pool One, will play Ulster in an all-Irish tie in Dublin at the end of March.
So that’s the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals confirmed – here are the fixtures:
Quarter-Finals – Saturday 30 March
QF 2: Edinburgh Rugby v Munster Rugby, BT Murrayfield (12.45) Channel 4 / Virgin Media / BT Sport / beIN SPORTS
QF 1: Saracens v Glasgow Warriors, Allianz Park (15.15) BT Sport / beIN SPORTS
QF 3: Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby, Aviva Stadium (17.45) BT Sport / beIN SPORTS
Sunday 31 March
QF 4: Racing 92 v Toulouse, Paris La Défense Arena (16.15) FR 2 / beIN SPORTS / BT Sport
Given their high seeding, if Saracens and Racing 92 win their quarter-finals, they will play their semi-finals on English and French soil against Edinburgh/Munster and Leinster/Ulster respectively.
If Edinburgh and Glasgow win their quarter-finals, the semi-final will be in Scotland. If Munster and Glasgow win, Munster will have home country advantage in the semi-final.
If Leinster and Toulouse win, Leinster will have home country advantage in the semi-finals. If Ulster and Toulouse win, Ulster will have home country advantage.
Heineken Champions Cup Semi-Finals – (Matches to be played on 20/21 April)
Semi-final 1 – winner of QF 1: Saracens v Glasgow Warriors will play the winner of QF 2: Edinburgh Rugby v Munster Rugby
Semi-final 2 – winner of QF 3: Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby will play the winner of QF 4: Racing 92 v Toulouse
Heineken Champions Cup Final
2019 Heineken Champions Cup final: Saturday 11 May; St James’ Park, Newcastle (17.00)
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Heineken Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals
Most English clubs may have come up short in the Heineken Cup, but they have five quarter-finalists in the European Challenge Cup.
Interestingly, three of the four quarter-finals feature teams who have already played each other in the pool stages while the fourth sees two Gallagher Premiership teams go head-to-head.
Clermont Auvergne’s reward for qualifying as top seeds is a third game of the season against Northampton. They beat Saints 41-20 at Franklin’s Gardens and 48-40 at Stade Marcel Michelin.
Break time: Peceli Yato of Clermont scores a try against Northampton (Getty Images)
Bristol will travel to La Rochelle, where they won 13-3 in a group tie. The Bears know the strengths of the French side, though, having lost to them 35-22 at Ashton Gate.
Sale will host Connacht in their last-eight tie, having beaten the Irish province 34-13 at the AJ Bell Stadium and lost 20-18 at the Sportsground in the pool stages.
The other quarter-final sees Worcester host Harlequins in an all-English fixture.
Here’s the full quarter-final line-up:
Quarter-Finals – Friday 29 March
QF 3: Sale Sharks v Connacht Rugby, AJ Bell Stadium (19.45) BT Sport / beIN SPORTS
Saturday 30 March
QF 2: Worcester Warriors v Harlequins, Sixways (20.15) BT Sport / beIN SPORTS
Sunday 31 March
QF 4: La Rochelle v Bristol Bears, Stade Marcel Deflandre (13.45) beIN SPORTS / BT Sport
QF 1: ASM Clermont Auvergne v Northampton Saints (19.00) FR 4 / beIN SPORTS / BT Sport
In the semi-finals it will be the winners of QF1 v QF2 and QF3 v QF4. Clermont and La Rochelle are guaranteed home advantage in the last four if they win as they are the top two seeds – but it’s not so simple if they don’t!
If Worcester and Northampton win, the Warriors have home advantage. If Harlequins and Northampton win, Quins have home advantage.
If Sale and Bristol win, Sale have home advantage. If Connacht and Bristol win, Connacht have home advantage.
Heineken Challenge Cup Semi-Finals (Matches to be played on 19/20/21 April)
Semi-final 1 – winner of QF 1: ASM Clermont Auvergne v Northampton Saints will play the winner of QF 2: Worcester Warriors v Harlequins
Semi-final 2 – winner of QF 3: Sale Sharks v Connacht Rugby will play the winner of QF 4: La Rochelle v Bristol Bears
Heineken Challenge Cup Final
2019 Challenge Cup final: Friday 10 May; St James’ Park, Newcastle (19.45)
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