Heineken Champions Cup: Five things to look out for in last 16

31st Mar 2023 | Source: BBC

Leicester prop Dan Cole and Leinster fly-half Ross Byrne are set to take centre stage for their clubs in the Heineken Champions Cup last 16

The Six Nations is done and dusted, so all eyes are on the return of the Heineken Champions Cup.

Europe's premier club competition has reached the knockout stages and all of the big hitters remain. BBC Sport takes a look at five things of interest in the last 16, which begins on Friday.

Are Tigers peaking at the right time?

On 19 February, Leicester beat Saracens to end a run of three successive defeats and kick-start their campaign.

Since then, four wins in a row for the English champions has lifted them to third in the Premiership table as they look to compete for the biggest prizes.

Back to full strength with the return of England internationals Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet and Dan Cole, Leicester host Edinburgh and have eyes on a third European crown.

Head coach Richard Wigglesworth says the competition does not get any bigger.

"It is the best club competition in the world, with the biggest clubs in the world taking part," he added.

"That isn't lost on us, we know how important this game is and are excited for Friday night at home with our fans."

If Tigers are in form, their visitors are not.

The only Scottish side left in the competition travel to Welford Road for the first time since 2007 after four defeats in their last four games.

But Edinburgh beat three-time winners Saracens in their final pool game and are boosted by the return of Scottish international quartet Duhan van der Merwe, Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson.

Is the Champions Cup changing... again?

The current format for the Champions Cup includes two pools of 12 teams, with each team playing two others, home and away, and then progressing to the last 16 if they finish in the top eight of the pool.

It was first introduced as a result of Covid, a fixture logjam and a need to condense the competition.

But the schedule has been criticised and some newspapers

say tournament organisers EPCR could revert to the pre-pandemic format of pools of four teams.

"We are looking at our format at the moment, quite thoughtfully and quite deeply, with a view to trying to make sure it is appropriate going forward," said EPCR Chairman, Dominic McKay.

"We recognise there has been a fair bit of interest in the format this season and in recent seasons, and we want to make sure we have the right format for the future."

Gloucester and Quins face tough away trips

One of the biggest changes in this year's competition was the inclusion of three teams from South Africa.

The Sharks, Stormers and Bulls all remain in the tournament after progressing from the pool stages and they will each want to make history by being the first from their country to lift the trophy.

Harlequins face a tough trip to Cape Town to take on the Stormers. It's not the Premiership side's first trip to South Africa, having lost to the Sharks on the opening day.

But victory against the Sharks at home in their final pool game will give them confidence of success.

Gloucester, meanwhile, face the unenviable challenge of playing defending champions La Rochelle in France.

Along with perennial heavyweights Leinster and Toulouse, La Rochelle are one of three sides who have won all four of their games in this season's competition.

Gloucester are struggling in ninth in the Premiership table and reached the knockout stages by finishing eighth from Pool A - the final qualification spot.

They will need to cause a big upset to progress to the quarter-finals.

Farrell set to feature for Sarries

European heavyweights Saracens are scaling the heights of the club game once more.

After sitting out last year's competition following their one-year hiatus in the Championship, Mark McCall's men secured a home tie despite defeat in their final pool game against Edinburgh.

The hosts are set to be boosted by the inclusion of captain Owen Farrell, who hobbled off in their Premiership win over Quins last weekend.

Farrell, 31, trained on Wednesday and the club are "relatively optimistic" he will play.

Saracens lead the way in the English top flight and have lost just four games in Europe and the league this season.

Ospreys continue to fly the flag for Wales and qualified from their pool with three wins and one defeat.

Stalwart for club and country Alun Wyn Jones, 37, is out of contract in the summer after 18 years with the club. It means the game at the StoneX Stadium could be his last for the Welsh region in Europe - but he will not want to bow out yet.

Could Irish Grand Slam lead to Leinster win?

When Ireland win the Grand Slam, Leinster win the Champions Cup.

While the European Cup has been in existence, the Irish province have lifted the trophy on the two occasions the national team have dominated the Six Nations in 2009 and 2018.

Could another Irish Slam earlier this month point to another Leinster title on home soil in Dublin in May?

The four-time winners are the second most successful team in the competition, trailing Toulouse by one title, but first they will have to overcome fellow Irish province Ulster.

With talisman fly-half Johnny Sexton likely to miss the remainder of the season with a groin injury, the talented Ross Byrne is set to take his place.

Leinster cruised through the pool stages, winning all four games and scoring a tournament-high 28 tries in the process. Ulster, meanwhile, lost three of their four games and qualified in the final spot in Pool B.