Euro cup playoff dates locked in
Today at 01:31 AM
The dates and times of the round of 16 fixtures for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions have been confirmed.
In the Challenge Cup, the Lions travel to Scotland to face fellow Vodacom URC outfit Edinburgh on Friday, 4 April, at Hive Stadium. Edinburgh topped Pool 3, while the Lions finished fourth in Pool 2, with the last clash between the two teams ending in a 55-21 victory for the Lions.
On Saturday, 5 April, the Vodacom Bulls face French club Bayonne at Stade Jean-Dauger. Bayonne, second in their pool, will look to defend their home turf against the Bulls, who aim to make a mark after being relegated from the Champions Cup.
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The Sharks, last season's Challenge Cup winners, play Lyon on Sunday, 5 April at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland as John Plumtree's charges look to keep their title ambitions alive.
In the Champions Cup, the round of 16 kicks off with Northampton Saints hosting Clermont on the opening weekend's EPCR playoffs action.
The following days feature heavyweight clashes, including Leinster against Harlequins and La Rochelle versus Munster. The final day wraps up with top-ranked Bordeaux-Begles hosting Ulster and Toulouse facing Sale Sharks.
The finals of both competitions will be hosted at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday, 23 May (Challenge Cup) and Saturday 24 May (Champions Cup), with the quarter-finals scheduled for the weekend of 11/12/13 April, and the semi-finals on the weekend of 2/3/4 May.
Challenge Cup round of 16:
Friday, 4 April
Edinburgh vs Lions, Edinburgh, 8pm
Pau vs Bath, Pau, 9pm
Saturday, 5 April
Bayonne vs Bulls, Bayonne, 1:30pm
Montpellier vs Gloucester, Montpellier, 6:30pm
Connacht vs Cardiff, Galway, 8pm
Perpignan vs Racing 92, Perpignan, 9pm
Sunday, 6 April
Ospreys vs Scarlets, Swansea, 5:30pm
Lyon vs Sharks, Lyon, 6:30pm
Champions Cup round of 16:
Friday, 4 April
Northampton Saints vs Clermont, Northampton, 8pm
Saturday, 5 April
Toulon vs Saracens, Toulon, 1:30pm
Leinster vs Harlequins, Dublin, 3pm
Castres vs Benetton, Castres, 4pm
La Rochelle vs Munster, La Rochelle, 6:30pm
Glasgow Warriors vs Leicester Tigers, Glasgow, 8pm
Sunday, 6 April
Bordeaux-Begles vs Ulster, Bordeaux, 1:30pm
Toulouse vs Sale Sharks, Toulouse, 4pm
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images/Getty Images
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