By SABC Sport
20th January 2025
All three South African teams - the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers - failed to progress in the Champions Cup and will instead drop down to the Challenge Cup knockout stages after each finishing in fifth spot out of six in their respective pools.
The Bulls did the business against Stade Francais at home, winning 48-7 to ensure they qualified for the Challenge Cup. The Sharks finished with a chastening 66-12 defeat against table-toppers Bordeaux Begles, but had done earlier in the competition to also stay alive in Europe.
They join the Lions in the last 16, who were already participating in the Challenge Cup, after the Gauteng outfit thumped the Dragons 60-10 in their final pool match to secure their passage into the knockout rounds.
The Stormers are out of European competition entirely after finishing last in their pool following a 31-22 defeat to Racing 92 in Paris, as are the Cheetahs who dropped out of Challenge Cup following a 68-21 defeat against Lyon.
All three surviving South African teams face a tough task in qualifying for the quarter-finals, however, as they must negotiate tough away matches in Europe.
The Sharks and Bulls travel to France to face Lyon and Bayonne respectively, while the Lions make the trip to Scotland to contend with URC opponents Edinburgh.
In the Champions Cup, Bordeaux-Begles, Leinster, Northampton Saints and Toulon topped their respective pools, joined by Toulouse, Leicester Tigers, Ulster, La Rochelle, Benetton, Clermont, Castres, Munster, Saracens, Glasgow Warriors, Harlequins and Sale Sharks.
The round of 16 fixtures will take place on the weekend of April 4, 5 and 6 with the EPCR set to confirm the official dates and kick-off times in due course.
Champions Cup last-16 fixtures
Bordeaux-Begles v Ulster
Leinster v Harlequins
Northampton Saints v Clermont Auvergne
Toulon v Saracens
Toulouse v Sale Sharks
Castres v Benetton
Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers
La Rochelle v Munster
Challenge Cup round of 16 fixtures
Connacht v Cardiff
Montpellier v Gloucester
Edinburgh v Lions
Ospreys v Scarlets
Lyon v Sharks
Bayonne v Bulls
Pau v Bath
Perpignan v Racing 92