Dead set locked into a three-way shootout as the favourites for this year’s title, Leinster rugby will be looking to take another step towards a fourth consecutive final appearance. Standing in their way this week are an ultra-slick Southwest London set of ballers in the Harlequins.

Pitting two sides who have each won this competition three times against one another should’ve led to it being a marquee fixture this weekend. Instead, Saracens boss Mark McCall called his shot early, announcing that he will be resting his top England internationals for the fixture.

Young guns vs seasoned veterans, former champions vs perennial contenders, and English club rugby royalty vs French club rugby royalty. Need we say more? Getting the action underway for the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup round of 16 on Friday at 20.00 BST is arguably the most underrated head-to-head of the weekend. Taking place at the iconic Franklin’s Gardens, the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions Northampton Saints will host Top 14 powerhouse ASM Clermont Auvergne.

The Northampton Saints are back in the 2025 Investec Champions Cup after their playoff run was cut short by a semifinal loss to Leinster in 2024.

RC Toulon has returned to the 2025 Investec Champions Cup on the backend of a great season, rebounding from a rough 0-0-4 Champions Cup run in 2024.

The Northampton Saints are back in the 2025 Investec Champions Cup after a loss to Leinster in the 2024 Champions Cup semifinals cut their playoff run short.

The Glasgow Warriors have refused to regress across the 2024-2025 season after winning the United Rugby Championship last summer and finishing second in Pool 4 of the Investec Champions Cup.

Ronan O’Gara played in 240 matches and scored 2,625 points in his illustrious career where he established himself as perhaps the greatest player to ever play for Munster Rugby for nearly two decades from 1997-2013.

Union Bordeaux-Bègles has never had a better chance to win the Investec Champions Cup than 2025.

If Toulouse Rugby can make it five straight years a club from France has won the Investec Champions Cup, and win its third Cup in five years, it’ll likely be the most special one of all.

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.

Benetton Rugby made history in January when the Italian club qualified for the Investec Champions Cup playoffs for the first time after a third-place finish in Pool 2.

The 2025 EPCR Challenge Cup is entering playoffs mode, with the Round of 16 kicking off in the United Kingdom and France on Friday, April 4.

After four rounds of pool play and a month-and-a-half of waiting, the Investec Champions Cup returns April 4 with the start of the Round of 16 matches across Europe. And that means that Leinster Rugby will begin its quest to win its elusive fifth Champions Cup title.

The 2025 EPCR Challenge Cup action intensifies, as the knockout stages kick off during the Round of 16 on Friday, April 4.