Signed, sealed and delivered, the pool stages of the Investec Champions Cup are a thing of the past, with the Round of 16 knockout stages confirmed.

Concluding the pool-stage action was a dominant performance from the Sale Sharks, who brushed aside a heavily rotated RC Toulon side 33-7 at the Salford Community Stadium.

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Already guaranteed of top spot in the pool, Toulon rarely looked like landing a significant blow on the Sharks, who knew that a loss would see their campaign come to a grinding halt just a week removed from a 40-0 drubbing at the hands of the DHL Stormers.

Thus, as the final whistle sounded in Manchester, pundits, fans and coaches all around European Rugby started crunching the numbers to confirm who they would be facing in the next round.

It didn't take long for the potential fixtures to filter through the world wide web, so without further ado, the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 will be as follows:

Union Bordeaux-Begles Vs. Ulster Rugby

Bordeaux Begles will host Ulster Rugby at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, having topped group one just a single bonus point ahead of Toulouse. 

Averaging a whopping 54 points per match, Bordeaux was the class act of the pool stages. 

To the team's credit, Ulster was the side that came closest to the Top 14 powerhouse, albeit they still went down 40-19. 

Ulster, on the other hand, was far from convincing, having suffered three heavy defeats at the hands of Toulouse and Leicester, to go with their Bordeaux thumping. 

Yet, a big-time win against the Exeter Chiefs in Round 4, cracked open the possibility of progression and courtesy of Bordeaux's huge win this afternoon Ulster edged the Sharks on points difference. 

La Rochelle Vs. Munster, Stade Marcel-Deflandre

In the second match of the knockout rounds, two two-time champions will face off when La Rochelle hosts Munster Rugby. 

For Ronan O'Gara's side, this season has been a rollercoaster, with big wins over Bath and Bristol being offset by a narrow loss to Leinster and a shock defeat at the hands of Benetton in Round 3 and Round 4, respectively. 

O'Gara's former side, when he was an iconic player in this competition, has had a mixed run of its own, picking up a dominant win over Stade Francais in Round 1, before becoming unstuck against Castres Olympique in Round 2. 

At the time, the loss away to Castres appeared to be a terrible result and one that Munster should've won, but since then the Top 14 side has won its two remaining matches against the Vodacom Bulls and Saracens to finish second in the group. 

Munster, on the other hand, gutted it out against Saracens in Round 3, before coming up agonizingly short against Northampton 34-32 at Franklin's Gardens in Round 4. 

On paper, this is far and away the pick of the last-16 fixtures and undoubtedly will be must-watch action.

Toulon Vs. Saracens - Stade Mayol

Another interesting clash between a set of past champions, who while far removed from their heydays, have enjoyed strong seasons thus far. 

Toulon, which rose to prominence in the 2010s for buying the best players the game has to offer, was confirmed as the top team in Pool 4 before taking to the pitch in Round 4 against the Sale Sharks. 

This security came on the back of strong showings against the DHL Stormers (away), Glasgow Warriors (home) and Harlequins (home), while Saracens could've been the top team in Pool 3, had things gone their way in Round 4.

Instead, Saracens slipped up late against Castres at home, and a Northampton's victory over Munster sealed their spot as the top team. 

Toulouse Vs. Sale Sharks - TBA

The draw nobody would've wanted, but the Sharks got courtesy of their final-round victory over Toulon. 

Outside of missing a four-try bonus point away to the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban, the reigning champions have been flawless throughout the pool stages. 

Concluding their pool campaign with an 80-12 victory over the Leicester Tigers (yes you read that right), Antoine Dupont and his merry band confirmed they are once again the team to beat this season. 

Sale likely will enter this clash as the biggest underdogs of the round outside of Ulster against Bordeaux. 

Leinster Vs. Harlequins - TBA

Another one of those draws where you go, really? Did it have to be us? 

Harlequins once again will be the maverick of the Investec Champions Cup - magnificent one week and a disaster the next, which was reflected in their pool campaign, where they lost to both Toulon and Racing 92 but hammered both Glasgow and the DHL Stormers. 

Perhaps it's a URC thing, and Quins is actually perfectly placed to defeat Leinster! Well, we can dream! 

Leinster will come into this clash fueled by the criticism of its attack, which yielded 'only' two four-try bonus points in the pool stages. Ordinarily, this is a poor return for the Dubliners, but this is a new look Leinster side. 

Now fully embedded into the Jacques Nienaber defensive system, Leinster is a gnarly group of street fighters who simply want to beat you up and take your lunch money. 

In the pool stages, they did just that. Will this work against Toulouse and Bordeaux? We almost certainly will find out.  

Glasgow Warriors Vs. Leicester Tigers - Scotstoun Stadium

The reigning United Rugby Champions secured a home knockout matchup for the first time in their Investec Champions Cup history with a second-place finish in Pool 4. 

Unfortunately for Franco Smith's side, two losses in the group stages on the road meant the top spot eluded them, and should they get to the quarterfinals, they likely will be on the road. 

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the Tigers, outside of their mauling at the hands of Toulouse, enjoyed a strong pool stage with two home wins and on paper a heavy loss to Bordeaux, which, in reality, was closer than the scoreline suggests. 

Similar to La Rochelle vs Munster, this is going to be a tight encounter between two sides who are firmly in the mix as the best of the rest away from the big three of Leinster, Toulouse and Bordeaux.

Northampton Saints Vs. Clermont - Franklin’s Gardens

Just about edging clear atop Pool 3, the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions played a Champions Cup classic against Munster in Round 4.

Taking the win ensured that they topped the group with three wins to go with a head-scratching loss to an otherwise winless Stade Francais in Paris. 

Facing them will be another resurgent European superpower in Clermont, which started its campaign with a bang, downing Benetton 28-0 in Round 1. 

From here, they traveled to Dublin and took the fight to Leinster, before ultimately leaving with no points from the encounter. 

This clash was followed by a heavy defeat at the hands of Bath, before closing out their pool stages with a win over Bristol to progress though to the next round. 

This should be a fun clash at Franklin's Gardens, but from a long way out, the Saints will back themselves to secure a home quarterfinal.

Castres Vs. Benetton - Stade Pierre-Fabre

Hands down, the two biggest surprises of the pool stages, few would've predicted either side progressing this far, but here we are! 

Castres, which has been among the regulars in this competition over the years without ever really leaving its mark, concluded a mightily impressive three-win pool stage with a road win over Saracens in Round 4 to seal second place in Pool 3. 

This result, paired with wins over Munster and the Vodacom Bulls, ensured a home last-16 tie, which they will no doubt sell out and back themselves to win. 

Facing them is a team that on paper, has a squad good enough to be regular knockout contenders with piles of Italian internationals in their squad but who have routinely stumbled in both the Champions Cup and URC. 

Claiming big-time wins over Bath and La Rochelle to go with their losing bonus points away to Bristol, Benetton proved it is the real deal this season. 

This clash is another one which is tough to call and will make for an intriguing clash of styles between Castres' forward grunt and Benetton's attacking flair.

Investec Champions Cup Fixtures In Round 4

• Ulster Rugby 52 vs. Exeter Chiefs 24, Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 3 PM, Kingspan Stadium
• Vodacom Bulls 48 vs. Stade Francais Paris 7, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 8 AM, Loftus Versfeld
• Northampton Saints 34 vs. Munster Rugby 32, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 10:15 AM, cinch Stadium @ Franklin's Gardens
• ASM Clermont Auvergne 33 vs. Bristol Bears 26, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 10:15 AM, Stade Marcel-Michelin
• Benetton Rugby 32 vs. Stade Rochelais 25, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 12:30 PM, Stadio Monigo
• Leinster Rugby 47 vs. Bath Rugby 21, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 12:30 PM, Aviva Stadium
• Harlequins 24 vs. Glasgow Warriors 7, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 3 PM, Twickenham Stoop
• Racing 92 - 31 vs. DHL Stormers 22, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 3 PM, Paris La Defense Arena
• Union Bordeaux-Bègles vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 8 AM, Stade Chaban-Delmas
• Saracens vs. Castres Olympique, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 10:15 AM, StoneX Stadium
• Stade Toulousain vs. Leicester Tigers, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 10:15 AM, Stade Ernest Wallon
• Sale Sharks vs. RC Toulon, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 12:30 PM, Salford Community Stadium

Investec Champions Cup Format 

Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup:

• A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023-2024 season
• 24 elite clubs - eight each from the Gallagher Premiership, URC and TOP 14 - in four pools of six
• Sporting jeopardy, with each club playing against four different opponents, home or away, in the pool stage
• Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the Round of 16
• The Investec Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends, with four pool rounds and four knockout rounds culminating in the 2025 final, which will be staged at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday, May 24.

Investec Champions Cup Weekends

• Round 1 – 6/7/8 December 2024
• Round 2 – 13/14/15 December 2024
• Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025
• Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025
• Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
• Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
• Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
• 2025 Investec Champions Cup final – Saturday, May 24, Principality Stadium, Cardiff

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When Does The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup Begin? When Is The Champions Cup Final?

The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec. 6, and the four-round pool-play action ends Jan. 19, 2025. The Round of 16 starts on April 4, while the quarterfinals are April 11-13. The semifinals are May 2-4. 

The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff, Wales at Principality Stadium. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup). 

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

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• Investec Champions Cup
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