The EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 delivered drama, upsets, and statement wins across Europe and South Africa.
From Gloucester’s gritty win in Montpellier to Bath’s dominant display in Pau, the quarter-final picture is now set. Connacht, Racing 92, the Bulls, and Ospreys also booked their place in the last eight, with clinical performances on the road and at home.
- Edinburgh 24 – 12 Lions
- Pau 24 – 49 Bath
- Bayonne 22 – 32 Bulls
- Montpellier 17 – 24 Gloucester
- Perpignan 18 – 24 Racing 92
- Connacht 35 – 20 Cardiff
- Lyon 34 – 21 Sharks
- Ospreys 36 – 14 Scarlets
Here are all the recaps and highlights from the eight matches:
EDINBURGH STRIKE EARLY TO KNOCK OUT LIONS AND REACH CHALLENGE CUP QUARTERS
Edinburgh 24 – 12 Lions (HT: 17-0)
Edinburgh exacted revenge for their heavy loss in Johannesburg earlier this season by defeating the Lions 24-12 at home to advance to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. The hosts dominated the opening half with high tempo and clinical finishing, racing to a 17-0 lead through tries from Wes Goosen, Ben Vellacott, and Jamie Ritchie. The Lions fought back after the break with tries from captain Francke Horn and replacement Jaco Visagie, but a crucial second-half score from Ali Price, following a sharp break from Matt Currie, kept Edinburgh clear. Despite late pressure, the Scottish side held firm to book a home quarter-final against the Vodacom Bulls.
EDINBURGH
- Tries: Goosen (1’), Vellacott (9’), Ritchie (28’), Price (71’)
- Conversions: Thompson (29’, 72’)
LIONS
- Tries: F Horn (46’), Visagie (75’)
- Conversion: Steyn (76’)
BATH CRUISE PAST PAU TO SECURE CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINAL SPOT
Pau 24 – 49 Bath (HT: 10-28)
Bath delivered a dominant display in Pau to advance to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a resounding 49-24 win, despite the absence of fly-half Finn Russell. The English side ran in seven tries and never looked troubled, outclassing their hosts in all areas of the game. Tries from Will Muir, Joe Cokanasiga, Beno Obano, Josh Bayliss, Tom Dunn, Ruaridh McConnochie, and a late score from Reid underlined Bath’s attacking power. Even a second-half red card for Sam Underhill couldn’t halt their momentum. Pau responded through tries by Sione Tuipulotu and a double from Hugo Brau-Boirie, but the damage had long been done. Bath move on to face Gloucester in the next round.
PAU
- Tries: Tuipulotu (26’), Brau-Boirie (61’, 68’)
- Conversions: Desperes (27’, 62’, 69’)
- Penalties: Desperes (19’)
BATH
- Tries: Muir (1’), Cokanasiga (21’), Obano (29’), Bayliss (34’), Dunn (42’), McConnochie (56’), Reid (71’)
- Conversions: Donoghue (2’, 22’, 30’, 35’, 43’, 57’, 72’)
BULLS END BAYONNE’S HOME STREAK TO ADVANCE TO CHALLENGE CUP QUARTERS
Bayonne 22 – 32 Bulls (HT: 8-15)
Bayonne’s European journey ended in heartbreak as the Bulls handed the Basques their first home defeat of the season, winning 32-22 in the Challenge Cup Round of 16. Despite a youthful and spirited Bayonne side pushing hard in front of a packed Jean-Dauger crowd, the South Africans were simply too clinical. The visitors struck two times in the first half, with tries from Petersen and Ludwig giving them a commanding lead. Bayonne stayed in touch through a penalty from Germain and a first-half try by Mori, but struggled to turn momentum into points. The hosts showed heart in the final quarter with late scores from Bourdeau and Spring, narrowing the gap to just seven, but missed chances and a final Goosen penalty sealed their fate. Bayonne exit with pride, while the Bulls march on to the last eight.
BAYONNE
- Tries: Mori (32’), Bourdeau (48’), Spring (75’)
- Conversions: Spring (49’), Tiberghien (76’)
- Penalties: Germain (5’)
BULLS
- Tries: Petersen (15’), Ludwig (38’), Kriel (44’), van Staden (67’)
- Conversions: Johannes (39’, 45’), Goosen (67’)
- Penalties: Johannes (14’), Goosen (79’)
GLOUCESTER STUN MONTPELLIER TO REACH CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINALS
Montpellier 17 – 24 Gloucester (HT: 17-14)
Montpellier’s European campaign came to a disappointing end as Gloucester claimed a 24-17 upset win at the GGL Stadium in the Challenge Cup Round of 16. Despite a dominant start and a standout performance from Lenni Nouchi, the French side faltered in the second half, undone by discipline issues and the visitors’ clinical edge. Early tries from Anthony Bouthier and Louis Reus had Montpellier flying at 14-0, but Gloucester fought back through Santi Carreras’ boot and tries from Thomas and Jordan. Reus nudged Montpellier ahead just before halftime, but Ackermann’s second-half score turned the tide, with Carreras adding a late penalty to seal the win.
MONTPELLIER
- Tries: Bouthier (4’), Reus (9’)
- Conversions: Reus (5’, 10’)
- Penalties: Reus (40’)
GLOUCESTER
- Tries: Thomas (25’), Jordan (33’), Ackermann (57’)
- Conversions: Carreras (26’, 34’, 58’)
- Penalties: Carreras (80’)
NAITUVI STRIKE SEALS RACING 92 WIN OVER PERPIGNAN IN TENSE CHALLENGE CUP BATTLE
Perpignan 18 – 24 Racing 92 (HT: 11-10)
Racing 92 edged a fiercely contested match in Perpignan to book their spot in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a 24-18 victory at Aimé-Giral. After trading early penalties, the visitors struck first through prop Bamba while Perpignan hit back via Allan just before halftime. Joseph added a second try early in the second half, but USAP responded with a powerful finish from Veredamu. The game remained in the balance until the 69th minute when Vinaya Habosi cut through the defense off a clever pass from Le Garrec to seal the win. Racing now face Connacht in the quarter-finals.
PERPIGNAN
- Tries: Allan (35’), Veredamu (53’)
- Conversions: Allan (54’)
- Penalties: Allan (13’, 17’)
RACING 92
- Tries: Bamba (23’), Joseph (41’), Naituvi (65’)
- Conversions: Farrell (23’, 42’), Le Garrec (66’)
- Penalties: Farrell (8’)
CONNACHT OUTMUSCLE CARDIFF TO REACH CHALLENGE CUP QUARTERS
Connacht 35 – 20 Cardiff (HT: 14-8)
Connacht powered into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup with a 35-20 victory over a valiant Cardiff side at the Sportsground in Galway. Despite a spirited second-half comeback by the Welsh club, Connacht’s physical edge and clinical finishing proved decisive in a five-try display. The Irish province started strongly with a try from scrum-half Matthew Devine, followed by a trademark bulldozing finish from No.8 Sean Jansen. Cardiff replied with a penalty from Callum Sheedy and a brilliant team try finished by Rey Lee-Lo, but another Jansen score gave Connacht a 14-8 advantage at the break. In the second half, Connacht extended their lead through Finn Treacy after an electric break from Finlay Bealham. Cardiff, however, came alive with tries from Ben Thomas and Josh Adams to narrow the gap to 28-20 with 20 minutes to go. But Connacht struck again through Shayne Bolton after a slick break from Josh Ioane, before Paul Boyle sealed the win with a short-range try following Thomas’ yellow card. Connacht now advance to face Racing 92 in the quarter-finals.
CONNACHT
- Tries: Devine (2’), Jansen (44’), Treacy (41’), Bolton (66’), Boyle (76’)
- Conversions: Hanrahan (3’, 42’, 45’), Ioane (66’, 77’)
CARDIFF
- Tries: Lee-Lo (37’), Thomas (53’), Adams (60’)
- Conversions: Thomas (54’)
- Penalties: Sheedy (12’)
LYON DOMINATE FIRST HALF TO DISPATCH SHARKS AND REACH CHALLENGE CUP QUARTERS
Lyon 34 – 21 Sharks (HT: 27-7)
Lyon stormed into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a commanding 34-21 win over the Sharks at Matmut Stadium. Despite conceding early to a Fez Mbatha maul try, the hosts responded with four first-half tries to take full control. Alexandre Tchaptchet sparked the turnaround before Théo William, Yanis Charcosset, and Josiah Maraku crossed in quick succession, with Léo Berdeu adding two conversions and a penalty for a 20-point halftime lead. Vincent Rattez added Lyon’s fifth after the break following a sharp break from Charlie Cassang. The Sharks grabbed two late consolation tries through Corne Rahl and Tinotende Mavesere, but the French side never looked threatened and will now face the Ospreys in the quarter-finals.
LYON
- Tries: Tchaptchet (16’), William (20’), Charcosset (27’), Maraku (37’), Rattez (67’)
- Conversions: Berdeu (21’, 28’), Meliande (67’)
- Penalties: Berdeu (7’)
SHARKS
- Tries: Mbatha (4’), Rahl (69’), Mavesere (79’)
- Conversions: Masuku (5’), Smith (69’, 79’)
OSPREYS POWER PAST SCARLETS TO SECURE QUARTER-FINAL CLASH WITH LYON
Ospreys 36 – 14 Scarlets (HT: 26-7)
Ospreys avenged last weekend’s URC defeat to local rivals Scarlets with a dominant 36-14 win at the Swansea.com Stadium to book a Challenge Cup quarter-final showdown against Lyon. The hosts burst out of the gates with early tries from Adam Beard and captain Jac Morgan, before Rhys Davies and Dewi Lake added two more to seal the bonus point before half-time. Despite a try from Blair Murray, the Scarlets were second-best in every department. Jack Walsh and Dan Kasende crossed in the second half to extend Ospreys’ lead, while Eddie James added a late consolation for the visitors.
OSPREYS
- Tries: Beard (1’), Morgan (4’), Davies (28’), Lake (38’), Walsh (52’), Kasende (61’)
- Conversions: Edwards (2’, 29’, 39’)
SCARLETS
- Tries: Murray (10’), James (70’)
- Conversions: Lloyd (11’, 71’)
QUARTERFINALS OVERVIEW
The Challenge Cup quarter-final matchups are now confirmed, with several heavyweight clashes on the horizon.
Gloucester will meet Bath in an all-English battle, while Connacht and Racing 92 face off in a physical test. The Bulls travel to Edinburgh, and Lyon host the in-form Ospreys. Expect more intensity, more disruption—and more chances for teams to stamp their mark on Europe.
Who impressed you most in Round of 16? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let’s talk rugby.
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