Champions Cup: Home Ground Advantage

March 29, 2019
1723
Ultimate Rugby

This weekend sees the 2018/19 Champions Cup competition head into its knockout phase but do we remember what they last three year’s quarter-finals have looked like?

English outfit Saracens have featured in the last three knockout stages, while Munster and Racing 92 have appeared twice in the last three years.

It is interesting to note that we have only seen one away win in the quarter-finals since 2015/16 season and the biggest victory is a 28 point win when Leicester Tigers beat Stade Francais in the same year.

Here is how the last three Champions Cup Quarter-Finals have looked:

2015/16 Champions Cup Quarter-Finals

Wasps 25 – 24 Exeter Chiefs

Saracens 29 – 20 Northampton Saints

Leicester Tigers 41 – 13 Stade Francais

Racing 92 19 – 16 Toulon

2016/17 Champions Cup Quarter-Finals

Saracens 38 – 13 Glasgow Warriors

Munster 41 – 16 Toulouse

Clemont 29 – 9 Toulon

Leinster 32 – 17 Wasps

2017/18 Champions Cup Quarter-Finals

Leinster 30 – 19 Saracens

Scarlets 29 – 17 La Rochelle

Clermont 17 – 28 Racing 92

Munster 20 – 19 Toulon

Back to this year, the tournament sees two derby games take place this weekend as the reigning champions Leinster face Ulster and last year’s beaten finalists Racing 92 host Toulouse.

Leinster lead the tournament statistics in three departments (tries, overall points and conversions), while Racing have the most clean break and metres made. Glasgow and Toulouse have managed to pick one tournament stat each, the French have the most offloads while the Scots have won the most lineouts.

Here are this weekend’s Weekend’s Fixtures:

Edinburgh vs Munster

Saracens vs Glasgow Warriors

Leinster vs Ulster

Racing 92 vs Toulouse

What are your predictions for the games?