"2025 Final Rematch" - Champions Cup Returns: The story so far ahead of Round 3

In this article, we will recap the story so far for each of the 24 teams currently competing across the four pools. The respective groups are steadily taking shape, with just two rounds to go before the lines are drawn to decide who progresses into the Round of 16, who drops down into the EPCR Challenge Cup, and who will sink out of Europe all-together.

Castres return to the familiar comforts of Stade Pierre-Fabre knowing home form remains their greatest weapon in Europe. A chastening 34-14 defeat at Gloucester on opening weekend threatened to derail their Champions Cup campaign early, but the response was emphatic. Their 33-0 dismantling of Edinburgh in round two was a reminder of how unforgiving Castres can be on home soil, where intensity, set-piece power and territorial pressure often overwhelm visiting sides. Both winger Christian Ambadiang and centre Vilimoni Botitu have beaten a combined 21 defenders so far this competition, and will be looking to slice the Bath defense in half.

Bath arrive in France with confidence tempered by a reality check. Johann van Graan’s side opened their European account in spectacular fashion, sweeping aside a Munster team in rampant domestic form with a commanding 40-14 victory that showcased Bath’s growing physical edge. However, a 45-34 defeat away to Toulon in round two exposed familiar challenges when faced with French opposition on their own turf. Finn Russell will look to add to his points tally, as he stands as the third-top points scorer so far; the Scotsman kicking 22 points in their two fixtures so far.

Edinburgh return to the HIVE Stadium seeking redemption after a rollercoaster start to their Champions Cup campaign. Their 33-20 statement win over Toulon in round one showcased their attacking potential and mental resilience, but a 33-0 drubbing at Castres in round two exposed inconsistencies on the road.

With a narrow 16-15 URC win over Benetton as their most recent domestic outing, Edinburgh have plenty of players eager to impress Scotland selectors ahead of the Six Nations, adding extra bite to their performance. Duhan Van Der Merwe returns from a hip injury, last featuring for the side in their 1872 Cup defeat at Murrayfield. Having only scored once in six club fixtures played this season, the winger will hope to kickstart his season ahead of the impending Six Nations.

Gloucester arrive buoyed by a commanding 34-14 win over Castres but will want to erase memories of a 31-3 collapse in Cork against Munster. Eighth in the Prem and stung by a 25-19 defeat to Newcastle last weekend, George Skivington’s side are desperate for a win to regain confidence. This match brought about an end to the Red Bulls 19-match wait for a win in the PREM, with the Cherry and Whites taking this unwanted accolade to close out the brief league block. Gloucester are fired up to return to winning ways, with a well-balanced contest set to grace the Scottish capital. Will Crane, on loan from Hartpury RFC, will make his Champions Cup debut at hooker. The 31-year-old featured for the CHAMP side 11 times this season, scoring four tries, before starting in the number two shirt last week for Gloucester.

The Vodacom Bulls return to Pretoria aiming to get their Champions Cup campaign off the mark. A second half collapse in their opening game with Bordeaux saw the French visitors run out as 46-33 winners, where the Bulls were leading by 13 points at half-time. It only got worse as their trip to Northampton the week after saw them drilled 50-5 with another second-half disappointment. They will hope to claim their first win since mid-October, as Ruan Nortje has returned as skipper in recent weeks. He has only featured in their home defeat in the first round, when he came on as a substitution.

Bristol Bears, however, have had completely different fortunes. Their trip to Scarlets in Round 1 saw them claim a 17-16 victory in a low-scoring affair, before they dismantled Pau 61-12 on their home European opener back at Ashton Gate. They will look to extend their six-game winning run, after beating Harlequins, Newcastle and Sale over the festive period. Scrum-half Kieran Marmion has stepped up to the plate in all competitions following injury to Harry Randall. He earned a place in last round’s Team of the Week following his control of Bristol’s fast-tempo of play, and grabbing a try of his own.

Clermont will hope to turn around their challenging European Cup campaign as they host Glasgow Warriors in Round 3. Les Jaunards kicked off their tournament with a trip to North London to play Saracens, in which they were turned over 47-10 in a dominant home display. They had hoped to right their wrongs in a clash against Sale, but were victims to a dominant display from the visitors, as they were defeated 35-14. Having left the Blues following the last Super Rugby campaign, Harry Plummer has helped pull the strings at Clermont to turn their recent misfortunes around, hoping to do the same against tough opposition.

The Glasgow Warriors have been flying high and mighty this season, in both league and cup competitions. Having been down by 14 points, they came back to earn a big opening victory at Sale first. They hosted Toulouse in Round 2, and produced the performance of the season, as they came back from 21 points down, in what looked like one-way traffic for the French side, before four unanswered tries saw the Warriors earn all five points. Fullback Josh McKay has made the second-most metres in the league, and will hope to tear the Clermont defence apart on Saturday.

Leinster Rugby and Stade Rochelais last met in Round 4 last season, and it’s another January date that awaits this time round. These two met in recent finals, with La Rochelle winning the 2023 final in the same stadium in Dublin, Leinster's back yard. The seventh meeting between the two, Leinster have had the better of the French side in recent times, having won the last three ties between the two, yet form always goes out the window in a grudge match like this.

Ronan O’Gara heads back to Ireland this weekend looking to right the wrongs of an up-and-down Christmas period while Leinster are purring nicely coming into Round 3. The ‘Boys in Blue’ won both of their Champions Cup ties so far, as well as all three of their interprovincial matches, and are currently on a seven-game winning streak.

La Rochelle, however, beat Leicester Tigers and lost to the Stormers in this competition, before posting big scores in the league against Bayonne and Toulon, yet to be smashed by Toulouse in that time. There are many Six Nations player matchups to be seen both on Saturday, as well as in three weeks' time: with Atonio and Porter, Alldritt and Doris, Le Garrec and Gibson-Park all going head-to-head.

The Sharks welcome the Sharks to Manchester, in the two sides’ first-ever clash, as Sale hope to get a big win in their topsy-turvy season. Both sides lost their first round fixtures, as well as securing victory in their second games, with the English side sitting one point ahead of them in the table.

Sale have suffered as of late, sitting seventh in the PREM with just three wins from nine. Apart from their Boxing Day win against Quins, they last won a league fixture back in mid-October. They do, however, still have George Ford amongst their ranks, who has impressed this season despite his club’s shortcomings, especially wearing an England shirt. He has yet to make an appearance for Sale in this competition, but will be imperative if they want to progress further.

Their counterparts in Durban have also had an up-and-down season. They sit 14th in the United Rugby Championship, winning two and drawing one in their eight league games. Despite their struggles, Andre Esterhuizen proves to be a consistent performer time and time again for the South African outfit, as a nuclear weapon in the side’s arsenal going forward. If he can be utilised to full capacity, Sale are going to have some issues.

Both suffering two losses in the tournament, Scarlets host Pau at Parc y Scarlets in an important fight for the last play-off spot. Their league forms couldn’t be any more different. The Welsh side sit at the bottom of the URC, able to only defeat Glasgow Warriors and Cardiff in their eight matches so far. In contrast, Pau are sitting second in the Top14, just a singular point behind Toulouse, and an equal record of ten wins and four losses.

Whilst the Scarlets’ form remains the same in both competitions, Pau’s is the absolute opposite, and will hope to reflect the performances they will have put in domestically. Carwyn Tuipolotu will return to Scarlets having left just a couple seasons ago, this time wearing the green jersey of Section Paloise, and will be a big presence in the clash against his former side. Full-back Blair Murray returns to match fitness as he will hope to impress on the European stage ahead of Wales’ squad selection for the upcoming Six Nations campaign.

Another clash of two winless sides in the competition, Leicester will hope to get off the mark as they host Bayonne. The Tigers have been competitive in the PREM: sitting fifth in the table, and seven points off Northampton in top spot. Their festive run of fixtures saw them beat poorly-performing Gloucester, before being overpowered away to Exeter.

Their last fixture against Saracens saw them run out 36-28 victors, where Adam Radwan continued his electric form, as he continues to audition for Steve Borthwick’s upcoming Six Nations squad. Bayonne sits ninth in the Top14, having won eight and lost six. They have beaten some of the high-flying sides, such as Stade Francais, but suffered defeats to lowly-placed Racing 92.

Yohan Orabe has proved a weapon for the French side, tied for the most turnovers won in the competition with four. He has also been strong going forward, with 19 carries and five defenders beaten.

Two sides in complete contrast meet in this Pool 3 clash, as troubled Harlequins look to record a statement victory over URC table-toppers Stormers. Aside from their record win over Bayonne last round, there hasn’t been much positive from this Harlequins side. They have lost three on the bounce in the PREM, shipping 40 points or more in all of them.

Despite this, the return of Alex Dombrandt has proven a success for the South-West Londoners, who scored two tries in their last match against Northampton. Still a physical presence on the pitch, he could prove a powerful weapon against his South African opponents. The Stormers are undefeated in all competitions so far this year, and will look to be favourites in both the URC and Champions Cup. They narrowly defeated Bayonne in their first round, before comfortably beating La Rochelle at home.

Pulling the strings will be Sacha Feinberg-Mngomeluzu, who has been faultless all season. In the Champions Cup alone, the fly-half has made 96 metres, with five clean breaks and beating eight defenders, and a try-assist for the cherry on top.

Stade Toulonnais are unbeaten at Stade Mayol since last season’s quarter-final against Stade Toulousain, and their Round 2 win over Bath Rugby will only add to that confidence. But Munster won’t be intimidated. Star fly-half Jack Crowley is back fit and the likes of Tadhg Beirne and new-signing Michael Alaalatoa bolster an impressive squad. The Samoan has started in Munster’s last four matches, including their second round victory over Gloucester.

Toulon are up to fifth in the Top14, but are coming away from a 66-0 hammering at the hands of Toulouse last weekend. Munster have fired themselves up to sixth in the URC, but have lost their last two in their interprovincial clashes with Leinster and Ulster. Lewis Ludlam is one of multiple English expats at the French club at the moment, playing both Champions Cup matches so far. He has demonstrated his strength in his plenty of carries, tackles, and even a try against Bath.

This weekend is also a rematch for champions Union Bordeaux Bègles and finalists Northampton Saints. It was the French side who came out on top in Cardiff in last year’s Final, and they’ll be hoping to build on what’s been a perfect start to this year’s competition. Saints are right on their tails though with two wins too, and two statement wins over Bath Rugby and Harlequins in their latest domestic ventures mean they’re flying ahead of Sunday.

Saints boast the leading try-scorer this season so far: George Hendy has four tries in the two fixtures so far, with a hat-trick in their last outing against the Bulls. He scored another two in their next match against Sale, taking his tally up to eight for the season. Bordeaux’s Mathieu Jalibert is the competition’s top scorer, with three tries, five conversions and one penalty. Apart from his kicking, he has been a huge threat going forward, with 120 metres made, breaking the line six times and beating eight defenders.

Sunday also sees Stade Toulousain head to London to take on a buoyant Saracens side. The three-time winners have been largely solid at home this season and will take confidence from Stade Toulousain’s potential to tumble when put under the cosh. Ugo Mola’s men squandered a 0-21 lead at Glasgow in Round 2, so the motivation to right those wrongs is there for the six-time champs.

Meanwhile, Saracens fell short in a gritty match with the Hollywoodbets Sharks, with the South African side holding on to a 28-23 scoreline for the last twenty minutes. Tom and Jack Willis will come up against each other for a family affair in North London. Tom has been a big presence on both sides of the ball for Saracens so far, carrying 32 times, and also making 21 tackles. Meanwhile Jack has been a defensive menace for Toulouse, making 86% of his tackles, and tying for first in turnovers won this campaign.