Team of the Week: Champions Cup & Challenge Cup Quarter Finals

The Champions Cup weekend commenced with an all-English clash at the Rec, as two of the Premiership's heaviest hitters left it all on the line. Bath edged past Northampton Saints 43-41 on Friday night, to set the high octane tone for the weekend ahead. Glasgow Warriors suffered a rare home defeat in Saturday's early kick-off, as RC Toulon snatched a 22-19 away win at Scotstoun Stadium.

Sale Sharks then sunk upon their trip over the Irish sea, as Leinster racked up a staggering 43-13 victory over the Greater Manchester outfit. Sunday's all-French contest then put a semi-final place up for grabs, between defending European Champions Bordeaux-Begles and their Top 14 rivals Stade Toulousain, with Bordeaux bagging the solid 30-15 home victory and a space in the final four.

Whilst it was a breathless weekend across the Champions Cup, the EPCR Challenge Cup also delivered it's fair share of thrills throughout the quarter-finals. Ulster continued upon their season to remember, as the boys from Belfast secured a stunning 41-24 home win over multi-time European champions La Rochelle. Montpellier then made amends for their eliminated French counterparts, as they sent Connacht out of the competition, with an impressive 45-22 victory over the Irish province.

The Dragons then kept their bid for silverware alive, following an incredible 35-32 away win over Zebre. The final spot of the Challenge Cup semi-finals was then taken by Exeter Chiefs, as the men from Devon dispatched Benetton 44-41 away in Treviso, in yet another barn-burning European clash from this past weekend. So, with eight teams becoming four across both the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, here is RUCK's Team of the Week for the combined quarter finals from both competitions.

We kick off our picks for the Team of the Week with a stand out flyer from Leinster's seismic home triumph over Sale. After missing out on the entire 2026 Six Nations with a fractured thumb, Hugo Keenan continues upon his strong return to provincial action with a third try in as many games since making his comeback against Glasgow Warriors. Keenan was excellent in the air, returned the ball with his frightening pace and could not be contained by the bewildered Sale defence.

Joining Keenan in the back-three is Gael Drean, who enjoyed a weekend to remember as RC Toulon booked their place in the Champions Cup semi-finals. The 25-year-old was on hand to run in two tries at Scotstoun Stadium, as the usually impenetrable fortress came crumbling down at the hands of the French side. With three tries in his two latest Champions Cup appearances, Drean has been a reliable finisher for Toulon upon their quest for silverware.

Our first entrant from the quarter-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup, Henry Slade was at his evergreen best for Exeter Chiefs this past weekend. The West Country native may have missed out upon a run in the England squad for the 2026 Six Nations, yet his beloved Chiefs would have relished the extended time they've had with their talisman this season. Slade was metronomic from the tee once again, as he bagged four conversions and three penalites against Benetton, whilst orchestrating the attacking tempo with his regular calm-headed style.

Despite coming away from The Rec on the losing side of the score-line and eliminated from Europe, there were plenty of positives for Northampton Saints this past Friday night. Starting with Fraser Dingwall, the England international was in stunning form for the clash in the West Country, as he ignited the try scoring for the men in green, black and gold. A constant presence for Phil Dowson's men on the front foot, Dingwall was once again the 'glue' which bound the back-line together, with an impressive display upon both sides of the ball.

We pivot our attention back to the EPCR Challenge Cup now, with our next entry into our Team of the Week coming from Ulster's season to remember. The Belfast side find themselves in the final four of the Challenge Cup, with flying wing Zac Ward on hand to bag a brace of tries this past weekend against La Rochelle. Having previously dropped down from the Champions Cup, Ronan O'Gara's French heavyweights find themselves firmly ousted from Europe, with Ward's contributions pivotal to the Irish province's success.

This was a close call, yet we hand the Team of the Week 10 spot to Bath's Finn Russell, who gets the nod narrowly ahead of Benetton's Jacob Umaga. A quick word on the former England international, as the Samoan star scored two tries and kicked a plethora of points against Exeter, yet could not drive his side over the line all by himself. Russell was able to eclipse Umaga's efforts, as Bath's resident Flying Scotsman showcased his 'Lionel Messi-esque' footballing abilities, scored an outrageous try and sent delightful offloads to put Bath beyond a resilient Saints effort.

Back with the men in green, black and gold off the back of an all-time great Champions Cup clash. Northampton scrum half Archie McParland had a tremendous effort in the nine jersey, as he kept the Saints firing at a relentless tempo in this end-to-end encounter. The East Midlanders' attack took a noticeable step down once McParland headed for the replacements bench, after the young gun had provided three try assists for his side's front-foot efforts.

Moving onto the all-star forward pack now from the latest weekend in Europe, we lead off with France prop Jean-Baptiste Gros taking the loose-head mantle in our Team of the Week. The Toulon man was an immovable object against Glasgow, as the Scottish side struggled to shunt the 26-year-old front row. Gros popped up for a well taken try mid-way through the first half, which swung momentum back to the French side, just minutes after Ollie Smith had crossed over for the Warriors.

One of the most reliable front row operators anywhere in the world, Dan Sheehan had another strong shift to guide his province deep into the Champions Cup knock-out stages. It could well be Leinster's European year after an agonising string of recent defeats, with a try-scoring Sheehan once again at the heart of Leo Cullen's side. The Ireland international continues to strengthen the leadership string to his well rounded bow, as Sheehan ensured his side kept level heads even as the score-boarded mounted against Sale.

One of the most talked about positional changes was once again in the spotlight this weekend, as Ulster have a definite 'multi-Toole' man on their hands. Having altered his trade across to the loose-head of the scrum throughout his latest Ireland efforts in the 2026 Six Nations, Tom O'Toole returned to Ulster and has seamlessly slotted back into life on the tight side. In what is a skill attempted by few and mastered by less, O'Toole excels across both pillars and even grabbed a try against La Rochelle to further his stock.

We stick with all things Ulster for these back-to-back entries, as Cormac Izuchukwu was in tremendous form in the latest victory over La Rochelle. Having endured foot and ankle injuries earlier in the season, and had his 2026 Six Nations run cut-short by a head injury against Edinburgh in the fallow week, the lock is back clicking towards his top gear in Ulster colours. Izuchukwu collected a try this past weekend, and was once again back ruling the skies at the line-out, in what has really become his point of difference.

Coming off the back of Italy's greatest ever Men's Six Nations campaign, Azzurri international Andrea Zamobinin has certainly developed a taste for success. The second row was yet again pivotal to Exeter, as the Chiefs booked themselves into the final four of the Challenge Cup. Zambonin was reunited with an array of his Italian teammates, as he muscled his way across for a try in the dramatic clash with Benetton. With the bragging rights secured from his international colleagues, the lock can set his sights back upon silverware after the Chiefs squandered their PREM Rugby Cup Final attempt.

Moving onto the back row now, and there is no better blind-side battler this week than Harri Keddie of the Dragons. The Men from Gwent are in unprecedented territory, as they find themselves just one win away from the Challenge Cup Final, with Keddie at the heart of the efforts upon both sides of the ball. The 29-year-old emptied the tank against Zebre, with a stunning brace of tries and an arduous tackle count for his beloved region.

We return to the Irish capital for the penultimate entry of the week, as Josh van der Flier was a cut above the rest in Leinster's Champions Cup triumph over Sale. The Ireland international was a tireless workhorse around the breakdown battle, with his iconic red scrum cap frequently spotted between the boots of both sides. Van der Flier showcased his impressive rugby knowledge to draw attention to Dan du Preez deliberate knock-on, and led his side forward with a tremendous showing of intent.

We close out our picks for this week's top performances with the one and only Henry Pollock. The third Saints man to make our XV, in what is a testament to a losing side's never-say-die attitude. Pollock embodied that in spades, with some explosive carries and a devastating try. Whilst we won't see Pollock and the Saints feature in back-to-back Champions Cup semi-finals, there is no denying that the England star left the competition with a bang this past Friday.