The five French clubs qualified for the final stages of the Champions Cup play their round of 16 this weekend
Time for the final phase of the Champions Cup! For this 2024 edition of the European Rugby Cup, five French clubs will see the round of 16. It is LOU who will open the ball for the Top 14 teams, in a difficult trip to South Africa against the Bulls on Saturday April 6 at 1 p.m. This will be followed by double reigning champions La Rochelle, who will also travel to the southern hemisphere to face the Stormers at 4 p.m. The two clubs will have to defy the statistics since no French team has managed to win in South Africa this season. Finally, two French clubs will have the privilege of hosting during these round of 16 matches. These are UBB against Saracens, and Stade Toulouse, which will host Racing 92 in a 100% French duel.
As a reminder, the organization of the Champions Cup is inaugurating a new draw system this year for the final stages. The sixteen qualifiers are in fact ranked from 1 to 16 according to their results in the group phase, then the 1st faces the 16th, the 2nd the 15th, and so on. With this format, two teams having met in a group can face each other again from the round of 16, unlike the old format. As a direct consequence of this new system, there will be no third consecutive final between La Rochelle and Leinster. The two teams could indeed face each other in the quarter-finals, in the event of a victory for Stade Rochelais against the Stormers and for Leinster against Leicester.
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