THE HOPE IS that this weekend is the start of a knock-out run that ends with at least two Irish provinces competing for Challenge Cup and Champions Cup glory in Bilbao on the weekend of 22 and 23 May.
The impressive San Mamés Stadium, where Leinster won their most recent Champions Cup title in 2018, hosts both deciders this year.
Home to Spanish football’s Athletic Bilbao, it’s an eye-catching modern stadium with a capacity of just over 53,000.
As anyone who made the trip in 2018 can tell you, Bilbao is a fantastic city.
Its delightful pintxos bars are among the many highlights. Rugby fans who make it there will probably drink their fair share of txakoli and zurito, as well as kalimotxo, a sweet Basque blend of red wine and cola.
The Guggenheim Museum is usually the star of any visit to Bilbao, but it’s the rugby at San Mamés that will dictate whether visiting supporters file it away as One of The Great Trips.
There are many Connacht, Ulster, and Munster fans wondering right now whether their team should fully invest their energy into the Challenge Cup, but winning a trophy is rare for most rugby teams. Bilbao 2026 promises to be brilliant.
A pintxos bar in Bilbao. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Connacht’s quest for their first trophy since the remarkable Pro12 title in 2016 continues on Friday night as the Sharks visit Galway. The South Africans followed up their URC hammering of Munster with a far less comfortable win over Cardiff last weekend. Their scrum prowess is well-established, but Stuart Lancaster’s men are feeling confident amid their run of five consecutive wins.
If Connacht can overcome the Sharks in front of the impressive Clan Stand this weekend, they’ll advance into a quarter-final against the winner of Montpellier v Perpignan next weekend.
This has been a struggle of a season for Perpignan, so the expectation is that relatively high-flying Montpellier – top seeds after four bonus-point wins from four in the Challenge Cup pool stages – will have too much for them on home soil.
In that event, Connacht would have to travel to Montpellier for the quarter-final, a repeat of their pool visit to the Septeo Stadium, where they lost in dramatic circumstances in January.
If Connacht overcame that challenge – or beat Perpignan in Galway – then they would meet one of Stade Français [with Connacht away], Pau [home], Zebre [away], or the Dragons [home] in the semi-finals.
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So it’s a challenging potential route to Bilbao for Connacht, who have reached the semi-finals of this competition three times before, most recently in 2010 when Jonny Wilkinson kicked Toulon to victory in Galway.
Munster are next in action this weekend, with a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday at Exeter’s Sandy Park.
Having gone through major transition in their squad in recent years, the Chiefs have been playing well in PREM Rugby this season, with eight wins in 12 games leaving them in the play-off spots in fourth.
Munster were disappointed in Exeter in 2023. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Munster had a sickening defeat to Exeter the last time they visited in 2023 in the Champions Cup pool stages, with the English side coming from behind and scoring three tries in the last quarter to win 32-24.
If Munster win on the road this weekend, the likelihood is that they’d be away for the quarter-final too, with Benetton fancied to beat Cardiff in Italy in their round of 16 clash on Saturday evening.
If Clayton McMillan’s men continued into the semi-finals, they could well be away once again, potentially against inter-provincial rivals Ulster.
In the Challenge Cup semi-finals, the highest-ranked club from the pool stages gets home venue advantage, which is different to the Champions Cup where the higher-ranked club gets home country advantage and can’t play in their regular home stadium.
But of course, Ulster need to navigate their own way through to the semi-finals.
Richie Murphy’s men are third seeds after the pool stages and have earned a home round of 16 clash with the Ospreys on Saturday evening at 8pm.
If they win, they will welcome either Newcastle Red Bulls or La Rochelle to Belfast in the quarter-finals next weekend.
It would be intriguing to see Ronan O’Gara’s side coming to Ireland for a quarter-final, with the potential for a semi-final in Ireland too if they met Munster at that stage.
La Rochelle are away to Newcastle this weekend. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
ROG coming back to Thomond Park would be box office. But his team have a huge priority in moving up the Top 14 table, with last weekend’s defeat to Bayonne leaving them seven points off the play-off spots in ninth place. Domestic matters are of chief concern to O’Gara.
La Rochelle are just one of many clubs in the Challenge Cup who believe they should be competing in the top-tier Champions Cup.
Irish eyes will be on that competition on Sunday evening as Leinster host Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium at 5.30pm.
It’s certainly not the most glamorous draw for Leinster but Leo Cullen’s men will be determined to get the job done professionally and convincingly as they look to build momentum.
It would be fitting if they could end their Champions Cup pain back in Bilbao, where they squeezed their way over the line against Racing 92 in 2018. Leinster have had a huge amount of heartbreak in this competition since.
The reality is that a home round of 16 tie against Edinburgh and then a possible home quarter-final against either Harlequins or Sale – neither of whom have been playing well this season – is favourable.
Leinster have earned that favour, of course, by winning all four of their pool games and being ranked third after the pool stages. Even with the blow of losing RG Snyman to injury, Cullen and Jacques Nienaber have a squad packed with quality to work with.
Leinster celebrate in Bilbao in 2018. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
If Leinster progress and Glasgow can beat the Bulls at home this weekend, then Toulon or the Stormers at home in the quarter-finals, there would be plenty of excitement about another spicy edition of that Irish-Scottish rivalry.
Glasgow would have home country advantage and could host Leinster at Murrayfield for that possible semi-final. Given that their most recent clash two weekends ago was as hostile as ever, that might be quite the spectacle.
The expectation is that if Leinster reach the final in Bilbao, they’d have either reigning champions Bordeaux or perenniel winners Toulouse waiting for them. Northampton and Bath will have other ideas on that side of the draw.
Bordeaux and Toulouse are in line to meet in what would be an epic quarter-final next weekend, presuming Bordeaux beat Leicester and Toulouse overcome Bristol in this weekend’s round of 16.
Bilbao in May won’t be long coming around. In a perfect world, Irish rugby could look forward to Connacht facing either Munster or Ulster in the Challenge Cup on the Friday night, before Leinster were part of the main event on Saturday.
But we know that there are plenty of twists and turns ahead in the next few weeks.
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All roads lead to beautiful Bilbao for the Irish provinces
THE HOPE IS that this weekend is the start of a knock-out run that ends with at least two Irish provinces competing for Challenge Cup and Champions Cup glory in Bilbao on the weekend of 22 and 23 May.
The impressive San Mamés Stadium, where Leinster won their most recent Champions Cup title in 2018, hosts both deciders this year.
Home to Spanish football’s Athletic Bilbao, it’s an eye-catching modern stadium with a capacity of just over 53,000.
As anyone who made the trip in 2018 can tell you, Bilbao is a fantastic city.
Its delightful pintxos bars are among the many highlights. Rugby fans who make it there will probably drink their fair share of txakoli and zurito, as well as kalimotxo, a sweet Basque blend of red wine and cola.
The Guggenheim Museum is usually the star of any visit to Bilbao, but it’s the rugby at San Mamés that will dictate whether visiting supporters file it away as One of The Great Trips.
There are many Connacht, Ulster, and Munster fans wondering right now whether their team should fully invest their energy into the Challenge Cup, but winning a trophy is rare for most rugby teams. Bilbao 2026 promises to be brilliant.
Connacht’s quest for their first trophy since the remarkable Pro12 title in 2016 continues on Friday night as the Sharks visit Galway. The South Africans followed up their URC hammering of Munster with a far less comfortable win over Cardiff last weekend. Their scrum prowess is well-established, but Stuart Lancaster’s men are feeling confident amid their run of five consecutive wins.
If Connacht can overcome the Sharks in front of the impressive Clan Stand this weekend, they’ll advance into a quarter-final against the winner of Montpellier v Perpignan next weekend.
This has been a struggle of a season for Perpignan, so the expectation is that relatively high-flying Montpellier – top seeds after four bonus-point wins from four in the Challenge Cup pool stages – will have too much for them on home soil.
In that event, Connacht would have to travel to Montpellier for the quarter-final, a repeat of their pool visit to the Septeo Stadium, where they lost in dramatic circumstances in January.
If Connacht overcame that challenge – or beat Perpignan in Galway – then they would meet one of Stade Français [with Connacht away], Pau [home], Zebre [away], or the Dragons [home] in the semi-finals.
So it’s a challenging potential route to Bilbao for Connacht, who have reached the semi-finals of this competition three times before, most recently in 2010 when Jonny Wilkinson kicked Toulon to victory in Galway.
Munster are next in action this weekend, with a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday at Exeter’s Sandy Park.
Having gone through major transition in their squad in recent years, the Chiefs have been playing well in PREM Rugby this season, with eight wins in 12 games leaving them in the play-off spots in fourth.
Munster had a sickening defeat to Exeter the last time they visited in 2023 in the Champions Cup pool stages, with the English side coming from behind and scoring three tries in the last quarter to win 32-24.
If Munster win on the road this weekend, the likelihood is that they’d be away for the quarter-final too, with Benetton fancied to beat Cardiff in Italy in their round of 16 clash on Saturday evening.
If Clayton McMillan’s men continued into the semi-finals, they could well be away once again, potentially against inter-provincial rivals Ulster.
In the Challenge Cup semi-finals, the highest-ranked club from the pool stages gets home venue advantage, which is different to the Champions Cup where the higher-ranked club gets home country advantage and can’t play in their regular home stadium.
But of course, Ulster need to navigate their own way through to the semi-finals.
Richie Murphy’s men are third seeds after the pool stages and have earned a home round of 16 clash with the Ospreys on Saturday evening at 8pm.
If they win, they will welcome either Newcastle Red Bulls or La Rochelle to Belfast in the quarter-finals next weekend.
It would be intriguing to see Ronan O’Gara’s side coming to Ireland for a quarter-final, with the potential for a semi-final in Ireland too if they met Munster at that stage.
ROG coming back to Thomond Park would be box office. But his team have a huge priority in moving up the Top 14 table, with last weekend’s defeat to Bayonne leaving them seven points off the play-off spots in ninth place. Domestic matters are of chief concern to O’Gara.
La Rochelle are just one of many clubs in the Challenge Cup who believe they should be competing in the top-tier Champions Cup.
Irish eyes will be on that competition on Sunday evening as Leinster host Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium at 5.30pm.
It’s certainly not the most glamorous draw for Leinster but Leo Cullen’s men will be determined to get the job done professionally and convincingly as they look to build momentum.
It would be fitting if they could end their Champions Cup pain back in Bilbao, where they squeezed their way over the line against Racing 92 in 2018. Leinster have had a huge amount of heartbreak in this competition since.
The reality is that a home round of 16 tie against Edinburgh and then a possible home quarter-final against either Harlequins or Sale – neither of whom have been playing well this season – is favourable.
Leinster have earned that favour, of course, by winning all four of their pool games and being ranked third after the pool stages. Even with the blow of losing RG Snyman to injury, Cullen and Jacques Nienaber have a squad packed with quality to work with.
If Leinster progress and Glasgow can beat the Bulls at home this weekend, then Toulon or the Stormers at home in the quarter-finals, there would be plenty of excitement about another spicy edition of that Irish-Scottish rivalry.
Glasgow would have home country advantage and could host Leinster at Murrayfield for that possible semi-final. Given that their most recent clash two weekends ago was as hostile as ever, that might be quite the spectacle.
The expectation is that if Leinster reach the final in Bilbao, they’d have either reigning champions Bordeaux or perenniel winners Toulouse waiting for them. Northampton and Bath will have other ideas on that side of the draw.
Bordeaux and Toulouse are in line to meet in what would be an epic quarter-final next weekend, presuming Bordeaux beat Leicester and Toulouse overcome Bristol in this weekend’s round of 16.
Bilbao in May won’t be long coming around. In a perfect world, Irish rugby could look forward to Connacht facing either Munster or Ulster in the Challenge Cup on the Friday night, before Leinster were part of the main event on Saturday.
But we know that there are plenty of twists and turns ahead in the next few weeks.
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Challenge Cup Champions Cup Ireland provinces routes