Three French clubs are in the race to reach the semi-finals of the European Rugby Cup.
This weekend the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Cup are being played, with three French clubs still in the running. Stade Toulouse, Union Bordeaux-Bègles and La Rochelle, defending champions, will try this Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 14 to qualify for the semi-finals.
For the Rochelais, the task promises to be difficult with the trip to Leinster. If Ronan O’Gara’s men have won the last two Champions Cup finals against the Irish, winning at home is always difficult. La Rochelle is paying a high price for the new format of the final stages of the competition. We will have to play a full match in Dublin to continue our hope of a European Cup treble.
The Toulouse residents will find their semi-final tormentors in 2020 with the English from Exeter. They start favorites with the return of their stars, and in particular their Dupont-Ntamack link. Finally, the Union Bordeaux Bègles is the scarecrow of the competition. After impressing against Saracens, Matthieu Jalibert and his teammates will host Harlequins to try to return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2021. The last match of the quarter-finals will pit Northampton against the Bulls, the South African team will have to seek his first participation in the final four of the competition on English soil.
The quarter-final schedule
Saturday April 13
- 4 p.m.: Bordeaux-Bègles – Harlequins
- 6:30 p.m.: Leinster – La Rochelle
- 9 p.m.: Northampton – Bulls
Sunday April 14
4 p.m.: Toulouse – Exeter
The complete Champions Cup table
Semi-finals (between May 3 and 5)
- Winner of quarter 1 vs winner of quarter 4
- Winner of quarter 2 vs winner of quarter 3
Final
May 25