THE GOOD NEWS for Leinster is that if they reach the Champions Cup final again this season, they won’t have to play La Rochelle in the decider for the third year in a row.
Still, Leinster may have to beat their arch-rivals along the way.
The draw means that if Leinster overcome Leicester in Dublin in their round of 16 clash in early April and Ronan O’Gara’s side beat the Stormers in Cape Town on the same weekend, then they’ll meet in the quarter-finals the following weekend.
Leinster would have home advantage, having nailed down their status as one of the top two seeds from the pool stages, and it would obviously be a tough ask for La Rochelle to travel back from South Africa and then onwards to Dublin for an away quarter-final.
It’s worth remembering that the Stormers have already beaten La Rochelle in Cape Town in the pool stages, although O’Gara’s men have found a new level in their performances more recently.
With only Toulouse managing a perfect 20 match points from a possible 20 in the pools, Leinster’s impressive total of 19 means they head into the knock-out stages as second seeds.
That ensures a home clash against Leicester in the round of 16, with home advantage guaranteed in the quarter-finals and semi-finals if they progress. This season’s final will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on 25 May.
Leinster know that either La Rochelle or the Stormers would await in the quarter-finals, while Cullen’s men would face one of Northampton, Munster, the Bulls, or Lyon in their potential semi-final at the Aviva Stadium.
As with last season, Leinster’s four wins from four in the pool stages mean they will truck into the knock-out stages with opportunity knocking. There’s no home final at the Aviva waiting this time but the home advantage they’ve earned for the knock-out games before the London decider could be huge.
If Munster are to earn their first Champions Cup crown since 2008, they’ll have to do it the extremely difficult way.
They’ll have a rematch with Northampton on 5/6/7 April over in Franklin’s Gardens and if they win there, Graham Rowntree’s men will have to travel to either the Bulls or Lyon in the quarter-finals.
Given that the Bulls have home advantage at altitude in Pretoria for that round of 16 clash with Lyon, they’ll be favourites to advance. So if Munster beat Northampton on the road, they would have to travel to altitude in South Africa the following weekend.
If they came through the quarters, Munster could be heading up the road to the Aviva Stadium to take on Leinster in the semi-finals, or they could be away to La Rochelle or the Stormers. If Leicester managed to make it through to the semis too, Munster would have home country advantage.
There’s a lot of ifs in that route. A return of one win from four pool games left Munster limping into the round of 16 but, as ever, they’ll hope to create something special when they’re on the road.
Ulster and Connacht drop into the Challenge Cup and will set their sights on the trophy.
Dan McFarland’s side are away to Montpellier in the round of 16, with a possible visit to Clermont or a home tie against the Cheetahs in the quarter-finals if they get through.
Connacht will visit French side Pau in early April and their reward for winning that one would be a trip to take on Benetton or a home game versus the Lions of South Africa in the quarter-finals.
If Ulster reach the semis, they would meet one of the Sharks, Zebre, Edinburgh, and Bayonne. Connacht’s possible semi-finals would pit them against Gloucester, Castres, the Ospreys, or Sale.
The two Irish provinces could meet in the Challenge Cup final in London on 24 May.
Champions Cup:
Round of 16 – 5/6/7 April
- R16 1: Stade Toulousain (1) v Racing 92 (16)
- R16 2: Leinster Rugby (2) v Leicester Tigers (15)
- R16 3: Northampton Saints (3) v Munster Rugby (14)
- R16 4: Union Bordeaux-Bègles (4) v Saracens (13)
- R16 5: Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12)
- R16 6: Vodacom Bulls (6) v Lyon (11)
- R16 7: DHL Stormers (7) v St Rochelais (10)
- R16 8: Exeter Chiefs (8) v Bath Rugby (9)
NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home venue advantage
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
Final - 25 May
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (14.45)
Challenge Cup:
Round of 16 – 5/6/7 April
- R16 1: Hollywoodbets Sharks (1) v Zebre Parma (16)
- R16 2: Gloucester Rugby (2) v Castres Olympique (15)
- R16 3: Benetton Rugby (3) v Emirates Lions (14)
- R16 4: ASM Clermont Auvergne (4) v Toyota Cheetahs (13)
- R16 5: Montpellier Hérault Rugby (5) v Ulster Rugby (12)
- R16 6: Section Paloise (6) v Connacht Rugby (11)
- R16 7: Ospreys (7) v Sale Sharks (10)
- R16 8: Edinburgh Rugby (8) v Aviron Bayonnais (9)
NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home venue advantage.
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 highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage.
Final - Friday, 24 May
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (20.00)
