State of the Euro cups: Trio lead SA's challenge
03/31/2025 12:00 AM
The travelling Vodacom Bulls, Lions and Sharks contest the Challenge Cup round-of-16 playoffs this weekend.
While no SA team has qualified for the Investec Champions Cup playoffs – the first time in three seasons since South Africa was admitted to Europe’s elite club competition – the Bulls, Lions and defending champion Sharks are in the running for silverware in the Challenge Cup.
The LIONS qualified for the round of 16 after finishing fourth in their six-team Challenge Cup pool, with two wins and two defeats.
Cash van Rooyen’s side began their campaign with a 30-14 loss to Ospreys in Wales before bouncing back with a 43-35 win against Pau at Ellis Park. They again struggled on the road when going down 28-5 to Montpellier, but hammered the Dragons 60-10 in Joburg one week later to set up a playoff in Edinburgh.
The Lions are already in Scotland, having played Glasgow in the URC on Saturday, so travel won’t be an issue for them. But they will go into the Hive Stadium clash low on confidence having been whacked 42-0 by the Warriors.
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Edinburgh, meanwhile, are coming off the back of a 38-5 home win against the Dragons.
Friday night’s winners will meet Bayonne or the Bulls in the quarter-finals, scheduled for the weekend of 11-13 April.
The BULLS went into their last pool match against Stade Francais at Loftus already out of Champions Cup playoffs contention, but needing to win by at least 22 points with a bonus point, while denying their opponents a bonus point, to qualify for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
And they achieved their goal with ease, scoring seven tries in a 48-7 victory – their first of the tournament, having lost 27-5 to Saracens in London, 30-21 to Northampton at Loftus and 49-10 to Castres in France.
Coach Jake White selected weakened teams for those two away pool matches, while prioritising the Vodacom URC, but should give Saturday’s Challenge Cup playoff a full crack.
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The Bulls trampled Zebre 63-24 in Pretoria last weekend, while Bayonne claimed a 28-14 home win against Lyon to remain fourth on the French Top 14 log.
The winner will take on Edinburgh or the Lions in the quarter-finals.
Reigning Challenge Cup champions the SHARKS began their Champions Cup campaign with a 39-21 victory against the Exeter Chiefs at Kings Park, but then suffered three successive defeats to the Leicester Tigers away (56-17), Toulouse at home (20-8) and Bordeaux away (66-12).
While that ended their Champions Cup hopes, a fifth-place finish in their six-team pool gave coach John Plumtree’s team a chance to defend their European title, starting with a playoff against Lyon, who are currently seventh in the French Top 14.
The Sharks are fourth on the URC log but playing well below their best, as evidenced by a 10-7 home defeat to a second-string Leinster team on Saturday.
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The winners of this playoff will face Welsh opposition (Ospreys or Scarlets) in the quarter-finals.
Challenge Cup round-of-16 fixtures:
Friday
Edinburgh vs Lions (9pm)
Pau vs Bath (9pm)
Saturday
Bayonne vs Bulls (1.30pm)
Montpellier vs Gloucester (6.30pm)
Perpignan vs Racing 92 (9pm)
Connacht vs Cardiff (9pm)
Sunday
Lyon vs Sharks (6.30pm)
Ospreys vs Scarlets (6.30pm)
In the pick of the Champions Cup round-of-16 clashes, title-holders and six-time champions Toulouse host the Sale Sharks, while Irish giants Leinster – losing finalists for the past three seasons – and English Premiership club Harlequins meet in Dublin.
Champions Cup round-of-16 fixtures:
Friday
Northampton vs Clermont (9pm)
Saturday
Toulon vs Saracens (1.30pm)
Leinster vs Harlequins (4pm)
Castres vs Benetton (4pm)
La Rochelle vs Munster (6.30pm)
Glasgow vs Leicester (9pm)
Sunday
Bordeaux vs Ulster (1.30pm)
Toulouse vs Sale (4pm)
Photo: Romain Perrocheau/AFP
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