It took a late burst from the Ospreys in Pau to snatch a dramatic 31-28 victory that pushed them up to second place in Pool 2. That not only earned them a home tie in the Round of 16 but also means whoever wins the derby clash will be home in the quarter finals.
The Scarlets booked their ticket with a 38-28 home win over RC Vannes and will now have to travel to meet their biggest rivals. When the two teams met earlier in the season at the Swansea.Com Stadium in ended in a dramatic 23-22 win for the Ospreys.
“I’m delighted for the group because making the last 16 is the first tangible thing we can chase this season. We’ve done that and I’m also delighted for the fans because knockout rugby is always special,” said Scarlets’ head coach Dwayne Peel.
“We came out of a tough group – playing away in Bayonne and Gloucester, which are tough places to go – so I’m thrilled for everyone at the club that we made it through.”
The draw for the quarter final will see either the Ospreys or Scarlets meet the winner of the game between Lyon and the Sharks. The Ospreys reached the quarter finals last season before going down to Gloucester at Kingsholm.
Two-time winners Cardiff Rugby also made it through as the 16th and final qualifier. That means they will have to travel away to Ireland to meet top seeds Connacht – the team that beat them 28-19 at the Arms Park in their final pool match.
The winner of that game will host either Perpignan or Racing 92. The Paris based Too 14 side Racing 92 are one of four teams who have tumbled down from the Investec Champions Cup along with the Sharks, Bulls and Bath.
The final of the EPCR Challenge Cup is due to be played at Principality Stadium on Friday 23 May
EPCR CHALLENGE CUP
Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April
R16 1: Connacht (1) v Cardiff Rugby (16)
R16 2: Montpellier (2) v Gloucester (15)
R16 3: Edinburgh (3) v Emirates Lions (14)
R16 4: Ospreys (4) v Scarlets (13)
R16 5: Lyon (5) v Hollywoodbets Sharks (12)
R16 6: Bayonne (6) v Vodacom Bulls (11)
R16 7: Pau (7) v Bath (10)
R16 8: Perpignan (8) v Racing 92 (9)
* Clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home venue advantage.
Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April
QF 1: winner R16 1 v winner R16 8
QF 2: winner R16 2 v winner R16 7
QF 3: winner R16 3 v winner R16 6
QF 4: winner R16 4 v winner R16 5
NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage.
Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May
SF 1: winner QF 1 v winner QF 4
SF 2: winner QF 2 v winner QF 3
NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage.
2025 EPCR Challenge Cup Final
Friday, 23 May; Principality Stadium, Cardiff (20.00 local time)
