The importance of the final seedings for the knockout stages of the Champions Cup has been swiftly underlined by the starkly contrasting routes to a potential third semi-final meeting between Leinster and Munster.
By dint of topping Pool 4 and finishing as second seeds overall behind Toulouse, for the second season running Leinster have earned themselves a prospective home route all the way to the final, whereas Munster are almost certainly consigned to playing away from Thomond Park to the same juncture.
Three of the Round of 16 ties on the first weekend in April will see repeats of three pool clashes, among them both ties involving Leinster and Munster. Leinster are at home to Leicester – whom they beat last Saturday at Welford Road – for the third season running in the knockout stages while as punishment for their defeat by Northampton at Thomond Park last Saturday, Graham Rowntree’s side must now face the Saints in a repeat meeting, but at Franklin’s Gardens.
Should Leinster beat the Tigers again, Leo Cullen’s side will then be at home in the quarter-finals a week later to the winners of the Last 16 tie between the Stormers and La Rochelle. Ronan O’Gara’s side, of course, are the back-to-back champions who beat Leinster in each of the last two finals as well as the semi-finals three seasons ago, before Leinster gained partial revenge with a hard-earned, rain-soaked win in the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on this season’s opening weekend in December.
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For their part, Munster are consigned to being on the road. Were Munster to beat Northampton, then the likelihood is they would face a trek to the high veldt to play the Bulls, who will be strongly favoured to beat Lyon at Loftus Versfeld. Come through that quarter of the draw and Munster would most likely be away to whoever comes through Leinster’s path.
“We don’t do it easy. In fact, we’re bang on schedule,” lamented Graham Rowntree after Munster let slip a 20-10 lead in their 26-23 loss against Northampton at Thomond Park.
The Munster head coach could take some solace from his side’s five-game unbeaten away charge to last season’s URC title. “Yes. Actually we do. We’ve proven that.”
Even in the aftermath of last Saturday’s defeat, it already looked as if Munster would be travelling to Northampton, or potentially Bordeaux-Begles, if at least not Leinster or Toulouse.
“Can you guarantee that?” Rowntree remarked whimsically when informed of this. “We’ll see. Wherever, whenever. This club, we’ve proven we can go wherever and win. We’ll take that when it comes.”
In any event, Rowntree would first have to deal with the consequences of a defeat which somewhat stymied the feel-good factor generated by last week’s win in Toulon, before they face the Crusaders in the meeting between the URC and Super Rugby champions in a Pairc Ui Chaoimh sell-out in a fortnight, on Saturday, February 3rd. They then meet the Scarlets in the URC (February 16th) before taking on Harlequins in a friendly three weeks later.
“We’re going to lick our wounds, and look at it in the cold light of day,” said Rowntree. “It’s hugely frustrating so far as this is the last time that group is going to be together for a while. We’ve got guys going away on international duty. We’ve got a huge game for the club in Pairc Ui Chaoimh against the Crusaders soon enough then we’re into the URC.
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“Quins away on the 23rd, we’ll look at some guys there. There’s a lot of rugby coming up but we’ll be split. Guys will be away on international duty, it’s unfortunate that last performance will be the last time we’ll be together for a while. We’ve got to be better than some of the stuff we were doing. We’ve got to learn. We’ve got to be better than that.
Connacht rescued a place in the Challenge Cup knockout stages with their bonus point win over Bristol last Friday night at the rebranded Dexcom Stadium, while Ulster were also re-routed to that competition by their defeat away to Harlequins on Saturday.
The western province also seem to have the more favourable draw, away to Pau in the Round of 16 and, should they reach the quarter-finals, they will face either Benetton away or the Lions at home. For their part, Ulster are away to Montpellier in the Round of 16, and should they win, Dan McFarland’s side would be away to Clermont or at home to the Cheetahs.
Champions Cup
Round of 16 – April 5/6/7
1: Toulouse (1) v Racing 92 (16)
2: Leinster Rugby (2) v Leicester Tigers (15)
3: Northampton Saints (3) v Munster Rugby (14)
4: Union Bordeaux-Bègles (4) v Saracens (13)
5: Harlequins (5) v Glasgow Warriors (12)
6: Bulls (6) v Lyon (11)
7: Stormers (7) v La Rochelle (10)
8: Exeter (8) v Bath (9)
Quarter-finals – April 12/13/14
1: Winner 1 v Winner 8
2: Winner 2 v Winner 7
3: Winner 3 v Winner 6
4: Winner 4 v Winner 5
Semi-finals – May 3/4/5
1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
Final
Saturday, May 25th
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (2.45pm)
Challenge Cup
Round of 16 – April 5/6/7
1: Sharks (1) v Zebre Parma (16)
2: Gloucester (2) v Castres Olympique (15)
3: Benetton (3) v Lions (14)
4: Clermont Auvergne (4) v Cheetahs (13)
5: Montpellier (5) v Ulster (12)
6: Section Paloise (6) v Connacht (11)
7: Ospreys (7) v Sale (10)
8: Edinburgh (8) v Aviron Bayonnais (9)
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