Champions Cup Pool 3 Match To Watch: DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers

The Champions Cup Pool 3 match to watch is the Stormers hosting Leicester in a high-stakes Investec Champions Cup clash with knockout hopes on the line.

Jan 15, 2026 by Philip Bendon

Champions Cup Pool 3 Match To Watch: DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers

Here's two sides that have enjoyed two very different Investec Champions Cup campaigns thus far.

Through two rounds, the DHL Stormers looked to be one of the hottest teams in the competition, riding an undefeated start to their URC campaign.

John Dobson’s side picked up where it left off in the league with back-to-back big-time wins over Top 14 opposition in Bayonne and La Rochelle.

The stunning start came to a grinding halt in Round 3, where a mixed-selection Stormers side was shredded by Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop 61-10.

In stark contrast, the Tigers got off to a slow start with losses to heavyweights La Rochelle and Leinster in Round 1 and Round 2, respectively.

While both matches ended in defeat, the Tigers did show glimpses of what they are capable of by pushing both sides at various points in the fixtures.

In Round 3, this promise was realized when Geoff Parling’s squad battered Bayonne 57-14 at Welford Road, with fly-half Billy Searle dotting down for a hat trick of tries.

Thus, from the ashes, the Tigers have risen, knowing that anything short of a win in Cape Town likely will relegate them to the Challenge Cup.

Balancing this reality with a big-time clash away to Harlequins a week later in the Gallagher Premiership is a fine balance for Parling and his coaching staff.

Do they take a full-strength side to the southern tip of Africa, where they likely will face a full-strength Stormers outfit under beautiful African sunshine? Or do they mix the team in a bid to tackle Quins and remain in the playoff race domestically.

Either option has its merits, with the Tigers being fully aware that even at full-strength, this Stormers side poses a formidable challenge.

When breaking down this contest, it falls into distinct categories of outcomes.

One is a Stormers blowout built on a bedrock of expansive play. Or an arm wrestle in which the Tigers cause the hosts trouble at the breakdown and thus limit the impact of the Stormers’ explosive playmakers.

2026 DHL Stormers vs Leicester Tigers

Leaning into the first option, while the Tigers smashed Bayonne into oblivion on a wet and windy evening at Welford Road, it would be a significant step up to expect them to do the same to the Stormers on a dry, fast surface at the DHL Cape Town Stadium.

For the Stormers, it is imperative that the likes of Evan Roos, Paul de Villiers and Ntuthuko Mchunu break the gainline. This will lay the platform for arguably the competition’s most expansive halfback combination of Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu to run riot.

Letting this pair pull the strings allows the Stormers to score in bunches quickly with their ultra pacey back line. Mix in Damian Willemse’s abilities as a second distributor, and the Stormers have the ability to stretch defenses from touchline to touchline in an instant.

In the Tigers back line, there are dynamic threats across the board, with Adam Radwan in red-hot try-scoring form with nine tries in his 14 matches this season.

Joining Radwan in the wide channels, Ollie Hassell Collins and Gabe Hammer Webb are physical and pacey options, while Freddie Steward is a totemic force at fullback.

Pinpointing the key protagonists in this matchup is firmly a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For this writer, it would be all too easy to simply look at the magnificent pair of fly-halves in Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu and Billy Searle.

Instead, we are focusing on a player, who in any other nation, would be a test regular. It's No. 8 Evan Roos.

Unfairly vilified in certain circles, the 6-foot-3 and 115-kilogram No. 8 is an unhinged bowling ball racing down an alley with ball in hand. Occupying multiple defenders with every carry, Roos is a throwback style backrow with similarities to the great Schalk Burger.

Mixing in rampaging carries with deft skills, including a unique ability to get his hands free in contact, Roos is the Stormers go-forward machine.

On the other side, Leicester’s budding Argentina star Joaquin Moro is fast becoming a fan favorite at Welford Road.

Blessed with top-end pace and remarkable vision, Moro is more of a linking back row who operates as a safe pair of hands who opens space for those around him. This skillset is built on Moro’s carrying ability, which is top-tier and was a key characteristic that has seen him become an Argentine international.

Fans will not want to miss this clash of two traditional powers from both sides of the hemisphere. All of the action will be broadcast live, and exclusively, on FloRugby for rugby fans in the United States.

How To Watch Investec Champions Cup In USA

The Investec Champions Cup 2026 will be broadcast on FloRugby at the FloSports app.

Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne

Saturday, Jan. 17 at 8 a.m. ET

Hollywoodbets Sharks

Pool 1: 5th (5 pts)
Record: 1-2
Point Diff: −48

Clermont Auvergne

Pool 1: 6th (0 pts)
Record: 0-3
Point Diff: −70

Watch: FloRugby

Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks

Saturday, Jan. 17 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Toulouse

Pool 1: 4th (7 pts)
Record: 1-2
Point Diff: +24

Sale Sharks

Pool 1: 2nd (11 pts)
Record: 2-1
Point Diff: +32

Watch: FloRugby

Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens

Sunday, Jan. 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Glasgow Warriors

Pool 1: 1st (15 pts)
Record: 3-0
Point Diff: +24

Saracens

Pool 1: 3rd (10 pts)
Record: 2-1
Point Diff: +38

Watch: FloRugby

Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Fixtures

Friday, Jan. 16

3 p.m. ET – Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls (Pool 4)
3 p.m. ET – Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby (Pool 2)

Saturday, Jan. 17

8 a.m. ET – Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne (Pool 1)
10:15 a.m. ET – Bayonne vs. Leinster (Pool 3)
10:15 a.m. ET – Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers (Pool 3)
12:30 p.m. ET – Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks (Pool 1)
12:30 p.m. ET – Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique (Pool 2)
3 p.m. ET – Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon (Pool 2)

Sunday, Jan. 18

8 a.m. ET – Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-Bègles (Pool 4)
10:15 a.m. ET – Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets (Pool 4)
10:15 a.m. ET – La Rochelle vs. Harlequins (Pool 3)
12:30 p.m. ET – Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens (Pool 1)

Watch FloRugby's Round 4 Podcast Preview

European Union Rugby Lives On FloSports And FloRugby

Rugby fans can stream every match from the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship on FloRugby, along with the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, making the platform the U.S. home for the world’s biggest club competitions and the game’s top players.

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

Professional club rugby in Europe all streams 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.

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