Investec Champions Cup: Quarter-final ties, times and dates revealed
Will Skelton in action for La Rochelle against Leinster in the Champions Cup.
Leinster will take on La Rochelle in the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup after the last-eight ties were confirmed.
In a repeat of the 2022 and 2023 finals, the duo will once again go head-to-head, but this time it will be before the showpiece event.
La Rochelle won both of those encounters, while they also eliminated Leinster in 2021 as they secured a 32-23 triumph in the last-four of the Champions Cup.
No fear
This encounter will be hosted in Dublin, but that should hold no fear for the Frenchmen, who defeated Leo Cullen’s men at the Aviva Stadium last May.
Although Ronan O’Gara’s outfit have not been at their best in 2023/24, only scraping into the knockout stages, they showed their resilience by narrowly overcoming the Stormers in the round-of-16.
Equally, Leinster, who have brought in Springboks’ Rugby World Cup-winning head coach Jacques Nienaber this season, are searching for their best.
They were tested by Leicester Tigers but ultimately their greater quality told and they ended up with a relatively comfortable 36-22 success in the last-16.
The victors of that contest will take on either Northampton Saints or the Bulls, who will face-off at Franklin’s Gardens next weekend.
Northampton came through their game with Irish province Munster while the South Africans were far too good for a second-string Lyon, winning 59-19.
On the opposite side of the draw, Harlequins have a daunting task away at Bordeaux-Begles after the Frenchmen thrashed Saracens 45-12.
Quins managed to edge past Glasgow Warriors 28-24 but they will need to be on their game defensively if the Premiership outfit are to make it into the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, the final match sees number one seeds Toulouse host Exeter Chiefs after the five-time winners easily defeated Racing 92.
Exeter overcame fellow countrymen Bath in the round-of-16 but, like Quins, it is a daunting task stopping the Toulouse juggernaut.
Champions Cup quarter-final draw
Bordeaux-Begles (4) v Harlequins (5) on Saturday, April 13 at 16:00 local (15:00 BST)
Leinster (2) v La Rochelle (10) on Saturday, April 13 at 17:30 BST
Northampton Saints (3) v Bulls (6) on Saturday, April 13 at 20:00 BST
Toulouse (1) v Exeter Chiefs (8) on Sunday, April 14 at 16:00 local (15:00 BST)
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