Who are the contenders and when is the match scheduled?
Leinster will be going head to head with Leicester on Saturday, April 6th, at Aviva Stadium, asking off at 8pm for the Champions Cup’s last 16. Two more matches are set for Sunday, with Munster taking on Northampton at 12.30pm at Franklin’s Gardens and Ulster squaring off against Montpellier at the same hour at GGL Stadium for the Challenge Cup. Another Challenge Cup match is on the schedule as Connacht and Pau face off in France at 5.30pm.
How can I view the matches?
Saturday’s match will be broadcasted on RTÉ 2 with coverage initiating at 7.30pm. The Munster game will be available on UTV and TNT Sports with coverage starting at 11.50am, while Premier Sports will be airing both Ulster and Connacht’s matches.
How do the teams stand leading to the grand final?
Leinster, as second seeds, have a home route to the final set to be played in Tottenham Stadium. If they defeat Leicester, a potential clash with La Rochelle, their old rivals, awaits in Dublin in the quarter-finals, given that Ronan O’Gara’s team gets through their testing match in Cape Town against the Stormers. If Munster outplays Northampton, their upcoming matches could be against Bulls or Lyon, should they succeed these matches, they could potentially compete with Leinster.
In contrast, Antoine Dupont’s Toulouse seems to be the team to watch on the other side of the draw, with chances equal to Leinster as competition favourites according to the bookmakers, albeit Bordeaux is also equipped with a formidable team in the mix.
As for the Challenge Cup, an away match against Clermont Auvergne or a home game against the Cheetahs awaits Ulster if they prevail over Montpellier. They may also possibly face the Sharks, the danger team on their side of the draw, in South Africa. If Connacht are victorious, they would either play Benetton away or Lions at home. Gloucester boasts the top seeds for this side of the draw.
What team details can we expect for the upcoming matches?
The official teams for each fixture will be announced later in the week.
Leo Cullen, the head coach of Leinster, is currently waiting for further updates on the injuries of key members of his squad including Ireland stars Robbie Henshaw, Ciarán Frawley, Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose, and Andrew Porter. Their next game sees them pitted against a fully fit Connacht, who recently welcomed back internationals Finlay Bealham and Bundee Aki. Connacht’s squad is further strengthened with the return of Caolin Blade, the scrumhalf who has recovered from an Achilles problem, and hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin.
Examining their performances this season, Leinster is, as always, doing excellently. They’re leading the URC table whilst remaining undefeated in the Champions Cup and achieving 15 victories from 17 matches across all competitions. Conversely, Munster has had some mixed results, showing consistent strength in the URC and holding a fourth place position, but lacking a similar performance in the Champions Cup with only a single win from four matches.
Ulster’s game has been below par this season, placing fifth in their Champions Cup group and maintaining a middling position in the URC. This led to Dan McFarland’s dismissal from his position with the province. Now under the leadership of Richie Murphy, they are aiming for significant improvement. Likewise, Connacht finished fifth in their Champions Cup group alongside a 10th position in the URC, with the prolonged absence of Mack Hansen due to injury attributing to their struggles.
Taking a look at the competition, Northampton leads the English Premiership and has recently won against Munster in the Champions Cup, overcoming being a man down and playing away from home. Winning 10 out of 14 domestic games, they pose a challenging hurdle for a Munster side looking to avenge their January loss. On the other hand, Leicester, a traditionally powerful side, has had less luck this year, holding the seventh position in the Premiership standings. Looking at the Challenge Cup adversaries, Pau has been holding their ground in the middle of France’s Top 14, proving stronger than Montpellier, who sits at the 13th place.