We’ll find out the final four in both the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup after this weekend with three Irish provinces remaining in contention.<\/p>\n
Leinster are the sole representative in the top tier with Leo Cullen’s side welcoming Sale Sharks to Dublin.<\/p>\n
Ulster host Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle in Belfast on Friday night, while Connacht are back in Montpellier on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Find out all you need to know about the matches here.<\/p>\n
ONLINE<\/p>\n
We’ll have live scoring, reports and reaction on RT\u00c9.ie\/sport.<\/p>\n
RADIO<\/p>\n
Leinster v Sale Sharks (Saturday 5.30pm) is live on RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Saturday Sport.<\/p>\n
TV<\/p>\n
All games involving the Irish provinces in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup are live on Premier Sports.<\/p>\n
WEATHER<\/p>\n
Belfast is set for gusty winds and rain in about 3C for Friday’s game.<\/p>\n
Connacht will have the best of the weekend’s weather in Montpellier where temperatures are expected to reach about 22C. Sunny with a moderate breeze.<\/p>\n
There are light showers forecast ahead of Leinster’s game at Aviva Stadium but that may clear up ahead of kick-off with sunny intervals and a fresh breeze in about 7C forecast.<\/p>\n
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Listen to the RT\u00c9 Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a> or wherever you get your podcasts<\/a>, and email us at sportpodcasts@rte.ie<\/p>\n \n Unbeaten in Europe this season, Leinster qualified for another quarter-final with a wild 49-31 victory over Edinburgh<\/a> last weekend.<\/p>\n It was a crazy match in which the hosts gave up three intercept tries before a fourth-quarter salvo saw them surge clear.<\/p>\n They had previously accounted for Harlequins, Leicester, La Rochelle and Bayonne.<\/p>\n Tommy O’Brien and Rieko Ioane tied for most line breaks in the latest round with four each.<\/p>\n ‘He wouldn’t be immune to the noise around him’ – The #RTERugby<\/a> podcast panel on Rieko Ioane’s best performance in a Leinster shirt against Edinburgh #RTESport<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/bygVHFEbsn<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/N7GgDc0fxa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 RT\u00c9 Sport (@RTEsport) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Sale, meanwhile, are counting the cost from a hard-fought 26-17 victory away to Harlequins last weekend after which they lost front rows Luke Cowan-Dickie and Bevan Rodd to injury, and Nathan Jibulu to suspension.<\/p>\n The English side, seventh in the Premiership, came through the group stages thanks to wins over Clermont and the Hollywoodbets Sharks, while they fell to defeats against Glasgow and Toulouse.<\/p>\n The teams last met in round two of the 2023\/24 season when Leinster won 37-27 at the RDS.<\/p>\n Leinster: Hugo Keenan: Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Alex Usanov, Dan Sheehan (captain), Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.<\/p>\n Replacements: R\u00f3nan Kelleher, Jerry Cahir, Thomas Clarkson, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciar\u00e1n Frawley, Robbie Henshaw.<\/p>\n Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra)<\/p>\n \n Richie Murphy’s side were somewhat fortunate to progress with Ospreys have a try disallowed upon review at the end of their 28-24 win<\/a> in Ravenhill last weekend.<\/p>\n However, they’ve enjoyed a good European run that included wins over Racing 92 and Stade, a walkover against Cheetahs and a defeat at Cardiff.<\/p>\n Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey beat six defenders and provided two try assists against the Ospreys.<\/p>\n Jack Murphy and Tom Stewart come back in for the hosts<\/a>.<\/p>\n The teams have never met in this competition but La Rochelle won their last clash, a Champions Cup pool meeting in the 2022\/23 season in which the French side went on to lift the trophy.<\/p>\n O’Gara’s men dropped out of the Champions Cup after group-stage defeats to Stormers, Leinster and Harlequins, while the beat Leicester.<\/p>\n Last weekend they recorded a 26-18 win away to Newcastle.<\/p>\n The Top 14 side won as many scrum penalties as any other team in the Round of 16 (3) and made the most maul metres (44). They sit ninth in the French league.<\/p>\n Ulster: Jacob Stockdale; Werner Kok, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Zac Ward; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Angus Bell, Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole; Iain Henderson (capt), Cormac Izuchukwu; Dave McCann, Nick Timoney, Juarno Augustus.<\/p>\n Replacements: James McCormick, Sam Crean, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, Bryn Ward, Conor McKee, Jake Flannery, Jude Postlethwaite.<\/p>\n Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco)<\/p>\n \n Connacht return to Montpellier for the second time in three months having lost their pool encounter 33-31<\/a> despite leading by 17 points with 24 minutes to play.<\/p>\n Stuart Lancaster’s side still qualified for the knockouts, however, after beating Black Lion and Montauban, while they also lost to Ospreys in their opening Pool 1 game.<\/p>\n Last weekend the Westerners overturned a five-point half-time deficit to run out 29-12 winners over South Africa’s Sharks in Galway<\/a>.<\/p>\n ‘Everyone knows their role and are on the same hymn sheet’ – @HannahOConnor22<\/a> has been impressed with Connacht’s upturn #RTESport<\/a> #RTERugby<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/bygVHFEbsn<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9AVXVaWID6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 RT\u00c9 Sport (@RTEsport) April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Back row Paul Boyle leads the competition with five tries scored this season, while maintaining a 97.4% tackle success rate (fifth in league).<\/p>\n Montpellier H\u00e9rault Rugby are two-time winners of the Challenge Cup. They beat Black Lion, Zebre and Ospreys on the way to topping the group.<\/p>\n The hosts, fifth in the Top 14, had a comfortable 53-13 win over Perpignan last weekend.<\/p>\n They have the best lineout success percentage in the league at 91.3% with 73 lineout throws won.<\/p>\n Connacht: Sam Gilbert: Shayne Bolton, Cathal Forde, Bundee Aki, Chay Mullins; Sean Naughton, Matthew Devine; Billy Bohan, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Sam Illo; Joe Joyce, Darragh Murray; Cian Prendergast (captain), Shamus Hurley-Langton, Paul Boyle.<\/p>\n Replacements: Matthew Victory, Peter Dooley, Jack Aungier, Josh Murphy, Sean O’Brien, Ben Murphy, Jack Carty, John Devine.<\/p>\n Referee: Christophe Ridley (Eng)<\/p>\n