Rugby
Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup resume this weekend─── ILSE SMALBERGER 10:45 Mon, 06 Jan 2025
The Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup resume this weekend, with five South African sides in action on Saturday and Sunday.
In Friday evening’s Champions Cup match, Glasgow Warriors will host Racing 52 at Scotstoun Stadium at 22:00. The other match on Friday will be an EPCR Challenge Cup match between Gloucester and Llanelli Scarlets at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester.
On Saturday, the Stormers will kick off Champions Cup action at home at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town when they face Sale Sharks. The Stormers currently lie in sixth place on the Pool 4 log, with the Sale Sharks in fourth place. The match kicks off at 15:00.
At 17:15, Exeter will host Union Bordeaux-Begles, while the Sharks will face Stade Toulousain in Durban. The visitors currently top the table in Pool 1, while the Sharks are in fourth place.
Not every team gets to play in front of a crowd like this. We go again on 11 January against Sale Sharks in the Investec Champions Cup.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 2, 2025
??? Get your tickets now to be part of it https://t.co/Ib50awcszH#STOvSAL #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/lyHH3oRHMA
Later in the evening, at 19:30 Munster will host Saracens, while Stade Francais take on Northampton Saints in Paris. The day’s Champions Cup matches will conclude at 22:00 when Leicester Tiger host Ulster, while the Bulls travel to Castres to take on Castres Olympique.
Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup matches see USA Perpignan host Cardiff Rugby and Vannes playing Edinburgh at 15:00, while the Georgian team Black Lion will play Aviron Bayonnais at 17:15 in Tbilisi. At 19:30, Ospreys will host New Castle Falcons, while the Lions travel to Montpellier to take on Montpellier Herault. Montpellier tops the table in Pool 2 while the Lions are in fourth place. At 22:00, Connacht will take on Lyon.
Rounding off the weekend’s rugby action, Toulon will host the Harlequins at 15:00 on Sunday in the Champions Cup, while La Rochelle will take on Leinster and Bristol Bears will host Benetton at 17:15. Bath host ASM Claremont in the final Champions Cup match of the weekend at 19:30.
In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Cheetahs will host Zebre in Amsterdam at 15:00 on Sunday. The Cheetahs are fifth in Pool 1, while Zebre are in sixth place. In the final EPCR Challenge Cup match of the weekend, the Dragons will host Section Paloise.
