Shifting uneasily in pure anticipation of the Investec Champions Cup's imminent return, this week’s FloRugby team meetings have been abuzz with predictions and some wishful thinking for how this weekend will play out.

Set for a significant impact on our rankings, this weekend’s round of fixtures sees 16 of the finest rugby clubs in the world take to the pitch. As ever, there are storylines for as deep as the imagination can fathom.  

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While the buildup to Friday’s kickoff continues to rumble on, this week’s FloRugby Power Rankings has thrown up some eye-raising moves for some of the top contenders.

So without further ado, here are the FloRugby Power Rankings for April 2, 2025:

1. Union Bordeaux-Begles

Fittingly, the No. 1 seed in this year’s Investec Champions Cup sits atop our power rankings heading into the last-16. 

Set to welcome a side the squad already defeated heavily earlier this season in Ulster is a nice way to ease into the knockout rounds. 

The Irish side is the heavy underdog but is far from a pushover, which should focus the minds of UBB.

2. Stade Toulousain

Proving that against 99% of opponents, this team had more than enough quality to win even without Antoine Dupont last time out. 

Toulouse was simply ruthless in dismantling Pau (ranked 45th in our big board of rankings). 

The challenge will be whether Toulouse can maintain this rhythm against the big sides in the Investec Champions Cup.

3. Leinster Rugby

Sending down what was in all respects a C team to face a Springbok-laden Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban should’ve led to a heavy defeat. Instead, Leinster’s merry band of youngsters turned over their heavily favored hosts for what was a show-of-force victory.

4. Chiefs

On a bye last weekend, the Chiefs will return to action for a top-of-the-table clash with the Reds on Friday.

5. Glasgow Warriors

Ramping up their run to a title defense, the Warriors annihilated the Emirates Lions (ranked 38th) last time out. 

Not only did they keep the potent South African side scoreless, they also racked up 42 points of their own, with George Horne becoming the club’s most prolific try scorer. 

All this writer could picture was the Simpsons’ meme of ‘stop it! He is already dead,’ as the Warriors kept pummeling their Johannesburg guests. 

This weekend, the Warriors will host a knockout match in the Champions Cup for the first time in their history. Safe to say Scotstoun will be rocking when the Leicester Tigers roll into town.

6. Bath Rugby

Scratching their heads all the way to Pau, how Bath still is not in the Champions Cup is one of this season’s great mysteries. 

Bath is far and away the favorite for the Premiership title this season, but for want of a better word, the team butchered its Champions Cup pool stage. 

Still, Bath remains in our top 6 on the back of a 47-28 drubbing of Harlequins.

7. Queensland Reds

Super Rugby’s new pacesetter, Les Kiss’s side, is on its way to Hamilton for what has the potential to be the game of the season against the Chiefs next time out. 

Slipping by the Western Force for the second time this season in the late stages of both matches proves they are a full 80-minute team.

8. Vodacom Bulls

Stomping on Zebre in the way you could picture a rampaging herd of Buffalo racing down the Serengeti, Jake White’s side solidified its spot in the URC’s top 3. 

Similar to Bath, the Bulls mismanaged their Champions Cup pool stages in a major way. The result is a trip to Bayonne for one of the more intriguing matchups in this weekend’s Challenge Cup. 

Could they emulate the Sharks and go on a Cup run? You bet they can.

9. Castres Olympique

One of our steady risers this season, Castres’ first appearance in the knockout stages since 2002 is built on, hands down, the team's best pool showing in recent memory. 

Notching three wins, including a first away win since 2012 against Saracens in Round 4, showed how serious Castres is about the competition this season. 

On the domestic front, Castres is fifth in the Top 14, just five points behind fourth-place Bayonne.

10. RC Toulon

Coming up two points short on the road against the team ranked them above on this list is not a majorly poor result, given Castres’ sterling home record.

Toulon will welcome a heavily rotated Saracens side to the Stade Mayol in the last-16, with the London side already confirming its will be leaving its big players at home. 

This is highly disappointing, but perhaps points to how strong the three-time champions are this season that a fellow three-time winner doesn’t think they stand a chance.

11. Bayonne

The Top 14’s surprise package keeps on rolling. 

Recovering from a loss to Stade Francais a week prior, Bayonne struck back with a dominant 28-14 win over Lyon in Round 20. 

Having left its mark on last year’s Investec Champions Cup, Bayonne will be itching to return to the top table and looks set to do so with six rounds remaining this season.

12. Gloucester Rugby

Shocking the second-place Bristol Bears with one of the best attacking performances by any side last weekend, the Cherry and Whites will be backing themselves to do a job against Montpellier in this weekend’s Challenge Cup. 

Playing to their strengths, George Skivington’s side plays at a great tempo that simply wears down more physical opponents.

13. Crusaders

On the receiving end of this season’s Super Rugby Pacific upset, the powerhouse Crusaders were roundly beaten at home by Moana Pasifika. 

Whether it was complacency, bad planning or just Moana’s truly special performance, the Crusaders never got into the match. 

This loss has seen them tumble down our rankings and highlighted some fragilities in their game, particularly their goal line defense around the ruck.

14. Brumbies

Getting back to above .500 this season, the Brumbies withstood a late Highlanders surge to head into their bye week feeling pretty good about themselves. 

Working in their favor this week are several crunch matchups that will affect those around them. 

Above them, the Chiefs and Reds square off, while the Crusaders will jump on a plane to face the Fijian Drua for a major banana peel match.

Under Stephen Larkham, expect the Canberra side to be a steady force as the season progresses, with their well-rounded game plan suiting tight fixtures.

15. Saracens

Frustratingly announcing that it will be holding back its big players for a push in the Premiership, the London side is heavily the underdog against Toulon in the Champions Cup last 16. 

While this tactic of resting players is frowned upon, to say the least, there is merit to the decision, given that Saracens is in the thick of a knockout battle. 

Currently two points behind fourth-place Gloucester, Mark McCall’s side has five rounds to push into the semifinal spots. 

As mentioned in our last rankings, we believe Saracens is the dark horse for the title this season.  

16. Hollywoodbets Sharks

Losing at home to Leinster’s C-team highlighted why Sharks’ fans are so frustrated with this squad. 

Packed full of big names, the Durban-based side nearly lost to Zebre a week earlier and simply did not play as a collective. 

Highlighting their ill-discipline, and perhaps ego, was Makazole Mapimpi’s senseless shove on Tommy O’Brien after a perfectly legal hit. This follows the Bok winger’s suspension for eye gouging, which comes after his neck grab on Exeter’s Josh Hodge earlier in the season. 

The Sharks have the feeling of a team that will dip toward the tail end of the season as other teams surge.

17. Munster Rugby

Backing up a gallant, but frustrating, tight loss away to Glasgow a week prior, Munster welcomed back its international stars and downed Connacht last time out. 

In truth, the result was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests, with Munster winning, despite being down to 14 men for the bulk of the match courtesy of Alex Nankivell’s red card. 

This weekend’s clash away to La Rochelle is not short of narratives, with their former favorite son Ronan O’Gara in charge of the French powerhouse. 

In its current form, Munster has a real shot of having a big day in Europe that kicks start the season.

18. Leicester Tigers

Now sitting precariously close to the edge of the semifinal spots, the Tigers slip-up at home cost them an opportunity to close the gap on Bristol. 

Still, they remain in third and certainly have the firepower to maintain their place. 

This weekend, they face a Glasgow side that is in red-hot form, but as far as draws go, this is about as preferable as it gets for the Tigers. By avoiding the big French sides and Leinster, Michael Cheika’s side will be quietly confident of keeping its campaign alive.

19. Hurricanes

Putting an exclamation mark on their efforts by going over the 50-point mark against a strong Waratahs’ side, the Canes had one of those days where everything stuck. 

The win brought them back to .500 and crucially ramped up their points difference to +30. 

Given the quality of the young talent in their team, they should continue to rise up the ranks with their players gaining experience.

20. ASM Clermont

Overpowering La Rochelle takes some doing, but this is exactly what Clermont did last time out. 

Similar to Leicester, Christophe Urios’s charges will be confident of overturning Northampton on the road in the last 16. 

So far this season, the Saints have been able to park their mixed Premiership form in the Champions Cup, only coming unstuck against Stade Francais. 

One area of weakness for the English side is up front, and no doubt, Clermont will go after them at set-piece time.

21. Bristol Bears

Flummoxed by Gloucester’s tempo, the usually pacey Bears were nowhere to be seen in their West Country derby. 

They're still sitting pretty in second position, but any chances of catching rivals Bath now look to be gone. 

Pat Lam’s side will have a week off courtesy of an abysmal showing in the Champions Cup pool stages. This could work in the team's favor, as its defense has been shoddy all season and is ranked ahead of only last-place Newcastle (ranked 52nd).

22. Harlequins

Up and down, inside out, who knows! 

The Quins are having a mighty Quins-style season in 2025. 

A week removed from downing Saracens, they welcomed back their star internationals only to labor out of the blocks against Bath. 

Expending all of their energy to reel in their rivals, they came unstuck in the latter stages and were roundly beaten. 

Traveling to face Leinster at the Aviva Stadium is not the medicine they would’ve wanted this week. but putting a positive spin on things, it is about as close as it gets to a free hit.  

23. Lyon

Dropping to seventh in the Top 14 courtesy of a loss to Bayonne, Lyon is the league’s median this season. 

Sitting with a record of nine wins, nine losses and two draws, Lyon still is a quality outfit but clearly a tick behind the other contenders in the league. 

Rather head-scratchingly, when one looks at the squad, Lyon doesn't quite appear to be playing as the sum of its parts.

24. Western Force

Coming up agonizingly close again against the Reds, the Force will be kicking themselves that they let two winnable matches slide in this uber-tight season. 

Playing their best two defensive games against the Queenslanders, the Force varied their game nicely with Ben Donaldson to the fore. Unfortunately, their game management in the final 10 minutes of both matches left a lot to be desired and ramped up more pressure than they could handle.

25. Ulster Rugby

Much maligned this season, Ulster is on a three-match win streak and back in the top 8 of the URC. 

For those not watching closely, it might look like Ulster is not making strides, but under Richie Murphy, the team has taken significant steps forward. 

At fly-half, Murphy’s son Jack has established himself as a real prospect and is more than a live contender for Aidan Morgan. 

When fit, their back three of Mike Lowry, Jacob Stockdale and Robert Baloucoune is as good as any in the URC. 

In the centers, the same can be said for Stuart McCloskey and James Hume, with Ben Carson and Jude Posthlethwaite waiting in the wings. 

The biggest flaw earlier in the season was a lack of big ball carriers, and certainly, Cormac Izuchukwu and Iain Henderson’s absences still are being felt. 

But the emergence of Scott Wilson, Dave McCann, Harry Sheridan and James McNabney to go along with Tom O’Toole, Andy Warwick and Tom Stewart offers a spine for which Murphy can build his squad. 

In short, don’t sleep on Ulster, though this weekend’s trip to Bordeaux almost certainly will be too much - they are a coming force.

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