Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 Round 4 Preview: All Eyes On Cape Town
Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 Round 4 Preview: All Eyes On Cape Town
Only two spots in the Round of 16 remain in Champions Cup Pool 3, as the Stormers, Leicester & La Rochelle battle in Round 4. Here’s how each team advances.
Just two Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 spots remain available from Pool 3 after Leinster Rugby and, somewhat surprisingly, Harlequins clinched spots in Round 3.
The DHL Stormers hope that, despite being demolished in London by the Quins, the warm weather along the Cape can power them into the playoffs and possibly the No. 2 seed from the pool.
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The Stormers return to Cape Town after a 61-10 loss at Twickenham Stoop that allowed Harlequins to clinch a playoff spot. But the Stormers — the No. 1 team on the United Rugby Championship table — will face the Leicester Tigers at 10:15 a.m. ET on Jan. 17 in a win-and-in game.
A home loss to the Tigers would eliminate the Stormers from the Champions Cup in the event that La Rochelle, which host the Quins, picks up a win.
The scenarios are rather easy to follow compared to the quagmire that is Pool 2.
Bayonne is not only eliminated from the Investec Champions Cup playoffs, but the most points the squad could earn in Round 4 is five. That would tie Bayonne with Leicester, but the first tiebreaker in the standings is aggregate points difference.
Bayonne has a minus-106 point difference to Leicester’s plus-16. So, yeah.
But everywhere else in the pool is cut and dry.
Here’s How The DHL Stormers Reach The Investec Champions Cup Round Of 16
Beat the Leicester Tigers, and the Stormers are in the Round of 16 for the first time since 2024.
The Stormers trail the Quins by two points in the standings, but because of the dreadful match in London, the Stormers now have a minus-21 points difference. Luckily for the lads in Cape Town, it’s unlikely to come down to a tie. The most points the Stormers can finish with is 14 — a win, plus a bonus point.
Win — and if Harlequins loses — the Stormers will be the No. 2 seed, meaning a home playoff match in Cape Town come April.
Lose, and the Stormers could be EPCR Challenge Cup–bound … if La Rochelle loses at home.
Here’s How La Rochelle Rugby Reaches The Investec Champions Cup Round Of 16
Beat Harlequins while scoring a bonus point, and the two-time Champions Cup–winning club is back in the Round of 16.
However, win without picking up the bonus point, and La Rochelle opens the Challenge Cup door. The good news is that heading into the 10:15 a.m. Sunday match against the Quins, La Rochelle will know whether the bonus point is needed or not, because Leicester plays the Stormers the day before.
Here’s How The Leicester Tigers Reach The Investec Champions Cup Round Of 16
It’s pretty simple: Win with a bonus point, and then root for one of their oldest Gallagher PREM Rugby rivals, Harlequins.
The Tigers have five points and trail La Rochelle by one, but they enter the round with a better tiebreaker in points difference (plus-16 to minus-3). If La Rochelle wins without the fifth point, the Tigers can qualify with a bonus point of their own — because their points difference would only increase in that scenario.
Sports!
Here’s A Quick Round 4, Pool 3 Preview
So many scenarios.
Bayonne vs. Leinster Rugby — 10:15 a.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 17, Stade Jean Dauger
Bayonne has been one of the most disappointing teams in the Champions Cup but can make Leinster’s road to the final much worse with a win at home.
French teams have been great at home — but unfortunately, Bayonne is one of the French clubs with a home loss in the competition (Round 1 to the Stormers).
Leinster once again is undefeated in pool play and has not lost a pool match the team has actually played since 2019. Leinster lost to Montpellier in 2021, 28-0, in a match forfeited due to COVID-19. Officially, that’s 15 straight pool-play wins since then.
Quick: How Does The Investec Champions Cup Round Of 16 Playoff Seeding Work?
A big win over Bayonne goes a long way for Leinster not having to leave Dublin until the final.
The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the Round of 16. All clubs are then ranked in descending order, based first on pool finish and then on match points accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16.
That means if pool play had ended after Round 3, the order would be:
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles — 15 points, plus-64
- Glasgow Warriors — 15 points, plus-24
- Leinster Rugby — 14 points, plus-26
- Bath Rugby — 11 points (current No. 1 in Pool 2)
- Bristol Bears — 14 points, plus-62
- Harlequins — 11 points, plus-88
- Sale Sharks — 11 points, plus-32
- Edinburgh — 10 points, minus-18
These eight clubs would host Round of 16 matches. The top four would host quarterfinals, and the top two would host semifinals.
The remaining field would be:
- Northampton Saints — 11 points, plus-31
- Saracens — 10 points, plus-38
- Toulon — 9 points, even
- DHL Stormers — 9 points, minus-21
- Toulouse — 7 points, plus-24
- Munster — 6 points, even
- La Rochelle — 6 points, minus-3
- Pau — 5 points, minus-48
The final playoff standings are unlikely to look exactly like this, but the prospect of Munster vs. Leinster in the Round of 16 come April might very well break the internet - if it happens.
DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers: 10:15 a.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 17 — DHL Stadium
The Stormers are in some danger of missing the Round of 16, but it would be silly to think the best team in the URC isn’t rolling out its A-lineup after not taking its full caravan of stars to London last week.
Likewise, the last time Leicester traveled abroad in the Champions Cup, the trip across the Channel to La Rochelle didn’t include the top squad. But this one is for a spot in the Champions Cup playoffs.
La Rochelle vs. Harlequins: 10:15 a.m. ET, Sunday, Jan. 18 — Stade Marcel-Deflandre
Harlequins enters the week already in the playoffs, despite sitting eighth on the Gallagher PREM table and barely qualifying for next season’s Champions Cup. That win over the Stormers’ B-side was a late Christmas gift.
Now comes the fun part: Can Harlequins beat La Rochelle and put one of the top French clubs of this decade into the Challenge Cup — and in doing so, clinch a home playoff match in April?
All the teams that don’t want to travel to Cape Town in the spring are rooting for the Quins.
How To Watch Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Matches
All Investec Champions Cup matches stream live on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Fixtures
Friday, Jan. 16
- 3 p.m. ET: Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls, Stade du Hameau
- 3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby, The Rec
Saturday, Jan. 17
- 8 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Kings Park
- 10:15 a.m. ET: Bayonne vs. Leinster Rugby, Stade Jean Dauger
- 10:15 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers, DHL Stadium
- 12:30 p.m. ET: Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Ernest Wallon
- 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, Thomond Park
- 3 p.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon, Kingsholm
Sunday, Jan. 18
- 8 a.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-Bègles, Ashton Gate
- 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets, cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens
- 10:15 a.m. ET: La Rochelle vs. Harlequins, Stade Marcel Deflandre
- 12:30 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens, Scotstoun Stadium
How To Watch Challenge Cup Round 4 Matches
All EPCR Challenge Cup matches stream live on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
EPCR Challenge Cup Round 4 Fixtures
Fri, Jan. 16, 2026
- 2 p.m. ET: Dragons RFC vs. Newcastle Red Bulls, Rodney Parade
Sat, Jan. 17, 2026
- 7 a.m. ET: Ulster Rugby vs. Stade Français Paris, Affidea Stadium
- 7 a.m. ET: Black Lion vs. Zebre Parma, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
- 11:30 a.m. ET: Perpignan vs. Lions, Stade Aimé Giral
- 2 p.m. ET: Connacht Rugby vs. US Montauban, Dexcom Stadium
- 2 p.m. ET: Ospreys vs. Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Dunraven Brewery Field
Sun, Jan. 18, 2026
- 7 a.m. ET: Exeter Chiefs vs. Cardiff Rugby, Sandy Park
- 7 a.m. ET: Lyon O.U. vs. Benetton Rugby, Matmut Stadium de Gerland
- 11:30 a.m. ET: Racing 92 vs. Toyota Cheetahs, Paris La Défense Arena
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
The URC will stream all its matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.