Saints to face Clermont in Champions Cup last 16
Northampton Saints beat Munster on Saturday to win Pool 3
- Published
Northampton Saints will host Clermont Auvergne, Glasgow Warriors will welcome Leicester Tigers and Ulster will travel to top seeds Bordeaux-Begles in the Investec Champions Cup last 16.
Having earned a thrilling win over Munster, Pool 3 winners Northampton are the only one of five Premiership sides to gain home advantage in April's knockout stage.
They will face Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne, who snatched a dramatic 33-26 victory in the sixth minute of overtime to end Bristol's qualification hopes.
The Warriors missed out on top spot in Pool 4 after Saturday's defeat by Harlequins but finished second to secure the all-important home tie.
Ulster qualified on points difference from Pool 1 after Bordeaux claimed a 66-12 victory against South African side Sharks.
Damian Penaud scored a tournament-record six tries as Bordeaux finished with an incredible 33 tries and 217 points from their four pool games to secure top seeding ahead of last season's finalists Toulouse and Leinster - the only other unbeaten sides.
Sale Sharks, whose impressive bonus-point win over Pool 4 winners Toulon snatched the final last-16 spot, face a tough away test against holders Toulouse, who scored 12 tries to hammer Leicester 80-12 on Sunday.
Harlequins will travel to Dublin to take on four-time winners Leinster, who finished top of Pool 2 with an emphatic victory over Bath that showed their strength in depth.
Meanwhile, three-time champions Saracens have to travel to Toulon after losing at home to Castres in their final pool match.
Elsewhere, La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara has been drawn against his former club Munster and Italian side Benetton travel to France to play Castres.
Benetton qualified for the knockout stage for the first time with a surprise 32-25 victory over two-time champions La Rochelle.
Overall, six French Top 14 sides, five English Premiership sides, three Irish provinces, one Scottish side and an Italian team made it through to the knockout stages.
None of the South African sides, whose presence in the tournament has been questioned, made it through.
The top four sides from each pool qualified for the knockout stage, with the top two gaining home advantage.
The teams finishing fifth in each pool - South African sides Sharks and Bulls, Bath and Racing 92 - drop down into the Challenge Cup (see below for full draw).
Champions Cup last 16 - full draw
Bordeaux-Begles v Ulster
La Rochelle v Munster
Toulon v Saracens
Toulouse v Sale Sharks
Leinster v Harlequins
Glasgow Warriors v Leicester Tigers
Northampton Saints v Clermont
Castres v Benetton
Ties to be played on the weekend 4/5/6 April.
Who could meet who in the quarter-finals?
Last year's finalists Toulouse and Leinster could meet again in the final on 24 May at Principality Stadium after ending up on opposite sides of the draw.
There could also be an all-Irish match-up in the quarter-finals if Ulster and Munster record away wins against French powerhouses Bordeaux and La Rochelle.
Similarly, away wins in France for Saracens and Sale would see the pair meet in the quarter-finals.
Northampton could face a rematch of last season's semi-final against Leinster in Dublin if both sides win their next two games.
Victory for Harlequins over Leinster and Leicester in Glasgow would set up an all-Premiership quarter-final.
Quarter-finals draw:
Bordeaux-Begles/Ulster v La Rochelle/Munster
Toulon/Saracens v Toulouse/Sale Sharks
Leinster/Harlequins v Glasgow Warriors/Leicester Tigers
Northampton Saints/Clermont Auvergne v Castres or Benetton
Ties to be played on the weekend 11/12/13 April
Semi-finals draw:
Bordeaux/Ulster/La Rochelle/Munster v Toulon/Saracens/Toulouse/Sale
Leinster/Harlequins/Glasgow/Leicester Tigers v Northampton/Clermont/Castres/Benetton
Ties to be played on the weekend 2/3/4 May
Challenge Cup draw
Connacht v Cardiff
Montpellier v Gloucester
Edinburgh v Lions
Ospreys v Scarlets
Lyon v Sharks
Bayonne v Bulls
Pau v Bath
Perpignan v Racing 92
Ties to be played on the weekend 2/3/4 May