Leinster have decided against moving their Champions Cup Round of 16 tie to Croke Park and will host Edinburgh on Easter Sunday, April 5th, at 5.30pm at the Aviva Stadium.
Connacht will kick off the Challenge Cup Round of 16 against the star-studded Sharks at the Dexcom Stadium on Friday, April 3rd at 8pm. In the same competition, Munster will play Exeter in the Round of 16 at Sandy Park on Saturday, April 4th in a tie which will have a 12.30pm kick-off, with Ulster at home to the Ospreys at 8pm later that night.
Under the terms of their agreement with the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Authority, Leinster can play up to 11 matches at the Aviva Stadium in a season and so they moved their Round of 16 tie last season against Harlequins to Croke Park.
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Leinster again have over two months to market a Round of 16 tie and sell tickets, whereas were they to win that match they would only have a week to do so for a home quarter-final.
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Last season’s decision to host their Round of 16 tie in Croke Park was vindicated by the 55,627 attendance for the 62-0 win over Harlequins, whereas a week later the quarter-final against Glasgow at the Aviva drew 22,400.
The Easter weekend will likely be a hard sell for their support base and Leinster’s generally preferred slot, like many clubs, is at Saturday teatime. But they have no real preference on a bank holiday weekend and they were keen to avoid clashing with the final round of the Energia All-Ireland League on Easter Saturday.
Connacht will not be overly disappointed to be granted a Friday night slot for what will be their fourth home game in front of the new Clan Stand, after hosting Leinster this coming Saturday night in an expanded 12,500 sell-out due to the installation of additional terracing at both ends of the ground.
The capacity will revert to 10,500 for the URC games against Glasgow and the Ospreys at the Dexcom Stadium before they host the Sharks in a first-ever Challenge Cup meeting. The Sharks are the 2024 Challenge Cup winners and have dropped down to this competition after finishing fifth in their Champions Cup pool.
Connacht are appearing in the knock-out stages for the 14th time, and after a quarter-final exit last season, head coach Stuart Lancaster has publicly targeted the final in Bilbao on Friday, May 22nd in the San Mamés Stadium as an achievable goal.
By contrast, Munster are dropping down to the Challenge Cup for only the second time in their history, while Ulster earned a third seeding in the competition’s pool stages. That means victory over the Ospreys in the Round of 16 would earn a home quarter-final against Newcastle or Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle, who have also been rerouted from the Champions Cup after surprisingly finishing fifth in their pool.
All the Champions Cup ties, along with all the Challenge Cup ties involving the Irish sides, will be televised live on Premier Sports.
Champions Cup
Round of 16 (pool stage rankings in brackets/All kick-offs local times)
Friday, April 3rd
Match 5: Northampton (5) v Castres (12), Franklin’s Gardens, 8pm.
Saturday, April 4th
Match 4: Bath (4) v Saracens (13), The Recreation Ground, 3pm
Match 7: Toulon (7) v Stormers (10), Stade Mayol, 4pm
Match 2: Glasgow (2) v Bulls (15), Scotstoun, 5,30pm
Match 8: Toulouse (8) v Bristol (9), Le Stadium de Toulouse, 6.30pm
Match 6: Harlequins (6) v Sale (11), Twickenham Stoop, 8pm
Sunday, April 5th
Match 1: Bordeaux Bègles (1) v Leicester (16), Stade Chaban-Delmas, 4pm
Match 3: Leinster (3) v Edinburgh (14), Aviva Stadium, 5.30pm.
Quarter-finals – April 10th/11th/12th
QF 1: Winner R16 Match 1 v Winner R16 Match 8
QF 2: Winner R16 Match 2 v Winner R16 Match 7
QF 3: Winner R16 Match 3 v Winner R16 Match 6
QF 4: Winner R16 Match 4 v Winner R16 Match 5
Highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage
Semi-finals – May 1st/2nd/3rd
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
The matches will be played in Europe and where relevant the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage
2026 Champions Cup Final – Saturday, May 23rd: San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, 3.45pm.
EPCR Challenge Cup
Round of 16 (pool stage rankings in brackets/All kick-offs local times)
Friday, April 3rd
Match 8: Connacht (8) v Sharks (9), Dexcom Stadium, 8pm
Saturday, April 4th
Match 7: Exeter (7) v Munster (10), Sandy Park, 12.30pm
Match 1: Montpellier (1) v Perpignan (16), Septeo Stadium, 1.30pm
Match 2: Benetton (2) v Cardiff (15), Stadio Comunale di Monigo, 6.30pm
Match 3: Ulster (3) v Ospreys (14), Affidea Stadium, 8pm
Match 6: Newcastle (6) v La Rochelle (11), Kingston Park, 8pm
Sunday, April 5th
Match 4: Stade Français (4) v Dragons (13), Stade Jean Bouin, 1.30pm
Match 5: Zebre v Pau (12), Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 6.30pm
Quarter-finals – April 10th/11th/12th
QF 1: Winner R16 Match 1 v Winner R16 Match 8
QF 2: Winner R16 Match 2 v Winner R16 Match 7
QF 3: Winner R16 Match 3 v Winner R16 Match 6
QF 4: Winner R16 Match 4 v Winner R16 Match 5
The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage
Semi-finals – May 1st/2nd/3rd
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage
2026 EPCR Challenge Cup Final – Friday, May 22nd: San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, 9pm
