Europe’s two elite club competitions are moving into the business end of the season, with the knockout picture finally starting to take shape after a dramatic Round 3 in both the Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup.

With one pool match left to play, a growing group of teams already have secured their places in the Round of 16, while others are facing do-or-die weekends to keep their European seasons alive.

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In the Investec Champions Cup, several heavyweights punched their tickets through a weekend that delivered late winners, statement performances and major shifts in the standings.

Leinster Rugby continued its perfect start in Pool 3 by edging old rival Stade Rochelais 25-24 in Dublin, a repeat of the 2023 final that once again went down to the wire. 

Harry Byrne kicked the winning penalty in the 81st minute to give Leinster its third straight win and ensure qualification with a game to spare. The Irish province now travels to Aviron Bayonnais with the top spot and a home quarterfinal still very much in its sights.

Harlequins also confirmed its place in the knockouts in emphatic fashion, crushing the previously unbeaten DHL Stormers 61-10 in London. 

The nine-try performance not only secured qualification, it also moved the Quins into second place in the pool ahead of a crucial trip to La Rochelle in Round 4. The French side sits fourth and now needs a result against Quins to avoid slipping out of the top 4.

Pool 4 has been dominated by Union Bordeaux Begles and the Bristol Bears, who both have booked places in the Round of 16. 

Bordeaux stayed perfect with a ruthless 50-28 victory over the Northampton Saints in a rematch of last season’s final, running in eight tries to underline its status as one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacks. 

The Saints did at least claim a bonus point in defeat, which was enough to confirm their own progression alongside Bordeaux and Bristol.

Bristol was involved in one of the matches of the weekend, outscoring the Vodacom Bulls 61-49 in Pretoria in a wild 15-try shootout. The result delivered a crucial bonus point and kept the English side firmly in contention for the top spot, setting up a Round 4 showdown with Bordeaux that will decide who finishes first in the pool.

In Pool 1, the Glasgow Warriors have emerged as one of the form teams in the competition. 

The Scottish side made it three wins from three with a 33-21 victory away to ASM Clermont Auvergne, sealing qualification and tightening its grip on first place. The Warriors now host Saracens in Round 4 in a clash that will decide who earns home advantage in the quarterfinals.

Saracens confirmed its own knockout spot with a gritty 20-14 win over six-time champion Stade Toulousain. 

The English side withstood sustained pressure to hand Toulouse a second defeat of the pool stage, leaving the French giants in danger of missing out on the knockouts altogether if they fail to beat the Sale Sharks in the final round.

Sale completed the trio of qualified teams from Pool 1 after beating the Hollywoodbets Sharks 26-10, collecting a valuable bonus point that keeps the Sharks second in the standings and safely into the last 16.

Pool 2 remains the tightest in the Champions Cup, but Bath Rugby’s 43-20 bonus-point win away to Castres Olympique proved decisive. 

Bath now sits atop the group and already has secured qualification ahead of a Round 4 meeting with Edinburgh Rugby that will decide the pool winner. 

Edinburgh also is well-placed, while Munster, Gloucester and Castres are separated by a single point in the race for the remaining knockout places.

The picture also is becoming clearer in the EPCR Challenge Cup, where several teams already have locked in their places in the Round of 16.

Montpellier Herault Rugby leads Pool 1 with a perfect 15 points from three bonus-point wins and is safely through, along with Ospreys, which sits second and also is already qualified. 

Zebre Parma, Connacht, Black Lion and US Montauban will fight it out for the remaining two places in the final round.

Pool 2 has been dominated by Benetton Rugby and the Newcastle Red Bulls, both of whom remain unbeaten after three matches and have secured qualification. Their early consistency has turned the race for third and fourth into a direct shootout, with USAP and the Lions level on six points heading into their decisive meeting in Perpignan.

Pool 3 already is settled after Stade Francais Paris secured maximum points to lock up first place. Ulster Rugby is confirmed as the runner-up, while Cardiff Rugby and the Exeter Chiefs also have done enough to qualify ahead of the final round, which now will be used only to determine seeding.

With both competitions now entering their final pool weekend, attention turns from survival to positioning, as teams battle for home quarterfinals, favorable draws and momentum heading into the knockout phase. 

While many of Europe’s biggest clubs already are safely through, there is still plenty at stake as the road to continental silverware narrows.

Clinched Investec Champions Cup Round Of 16

• Glasgow Warriors
• Sale Sharks
• Leinster Rugby
• Harlequins
• Union Bordeaux Begles
• Bristol Bears
• Northampton Saints

Clinched EPCR Challenge Cup Round Of 16

• Montpellier Herault Rugby
• Ospreys
• Benetton Rugby
• Newcastle Red Bulls
• Stade Francais Paris
• Ulster Rugby
• Cardiff Rugby
• Exeter Chiefs