A full tour of the results, match by match, from this final round of the pool stage.

UBB get the job done against Bristol

Bristol Bears’ James Williams tries to tackle Union Bordeaux-Bègles player Louis Bielle-Biarrey as he races away to score a try during the Investec Champions Cup match at Ashton Gate, Bristol. Photo: Icon Sport
  • Bordeaux-Bègles take the attacking bonus point, thanks in particular to the unstoppable Louis Bielle-Biarrey and his hat-trick. on the Bristol Bears’ turf and stride clear with the guarantee, should they win again, of playing at home all the way to the final. A 27-15 away win, and a Jalibert at ease. A home last-16 tie and more besides are secured.

La Rochelle sink against Harlequins

The Harlequins side during the Investec Champions Cup match between La Rochelle and Harlequins at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre. Photo: Thibault Bossenie/Icon Sport
  • Hard to be a Maritime after sinking at home to the English 27-17. It is the big nasty surprise of the evening, La Rochelle needed only a single point to qualify and keep hoping for a European destiny but too many errors and a Marcus Smith penalty nailed the coffin shut on La Rochelle’s ambitions. Worrying.

Bayonne cannot stop Leinster finishing top 

Leinster players celebrate as Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster), hidden, scores his side’s second try, ultimately disallowed, during the Investec Champions Cup match between Bayonne and Leinster at the Stade Jean Dauger, Bayonne, France. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile / Icon Sport
  • Already eliminated, Aviron Bayonnais gave way to the best Irish province (22-13). The bench made the difference, and so did the motivation. Leinster finish first and will host their last-16 tie. tie.

Monumental Castres knock Munster out

Castres players celebrate with their supporters after the Investec Champions Cup match at Thomond Park, Limerick. Photo: Icon Sport
  • So many contenders and pretenders have broken their teeth at Thomond Park since 1996… What Castres Olympique have done is simply enormous. A 31-29 win that means elimination for the province from the south-west of Ireland. What emotion! Rare.

Toulouse a European giant delivers against Sale

Matthis Lebel (Toulouse) during the EPCR Champions Cup match between Toulouse and Sale at the Stade Ernest-Wallon, 17 January 2026 in Toulouse, France. (Photo: Nathan Barange/Icon Sport) — Photo: Icon Sport
  • Thirty years ago, Stade Toulousain were thrashed 77-17 by Wasps, who today have shut up shop. There, with this ultra-bonus 77-7 win over Sale, the greatest French side in history proved that whoever can believe in his future knows his past. Bristol will come to challenge them.

Toulon reconnect with their past

Gloucester Rugby’s Tomos Williams scores his side’s second try of the game during the Investec Champions Cup match at Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester. Picture date: Saturday January 17, 2026. – Photo by Icon Sport
  • Toulon, second in pool 2, after their controlled 31-14 win over Gloucester have landed an important away success that means a home last-16 tie and, in the same movement, purely and simply knocked the English side out of the European race;

Clermont, tail between their legs

Jurenzo Julius (Hollywoodbets Sharks) scores a try during the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup match between the Sharks and ASM Clermont at Kings Park Stadium, Durban, on 17 January 2026. Photo: Icon Sport
  • A big fat zero for a former European giant,and a heavy defeat in South Africa. Times have changed since the Yellow Army had Europe trembling. Four deserving supporters travelled to Durban to witness the shipwreck of a rotated side”, how else could it be,against the Sharks. Times change fast. 50-12…

Pau close, but eliminated

Théo Attissogbe (Pau) during the Champions Cup match between Pau and the Bulls at the Stade du Hameau, 16 January 2026 in Pau, France. (Photo: Nathan Barange/Icon Sport) — Photo: Icon Sport
  • Pau led by twelve points and believed. In the end, a 26-24 win for the Bulls and a bitter elimination for the Béarn side.

Beaten right at the death by the Bulls (24-26) despite having led by twelve points, Section Paloise leave the Champions Cup after a match marked by two unusual incidents involving English referee Karl Dickson. At the heart of the debate: the official pulling a South African player’s jersey to speed the game up on the first try, followed by an accidental obstruction on wing Aaron Grandidier during the move that led to the winning try in the 73rd minute.

Those sequences drew a reaction from several observers. On his X account, former international Andy Goode questioned the blurring of roles: “Karl Dickson refereeing, coaching and trying to help all at the same time?!”.

An analysis shared by former referee Laurent Cardona who, in the columns of Midi Olympique, believes the official “stepped outside the framework” by intervening physically on the player.

Far from those controversies, manager Sébastien Piqueronies preferred to focus on his men’s performance: “I will keep a bitter memory of it […] but I want to be proud of the work done and of the level Section can play at.”

All the same, given the unintentional influence of the man with the whistle on the way the match unfolded, a small question arises: have we just invented sixteen-a-side rugby?

The last 16 (4-5 April 2026)

  • UBB (1) — Leicester (16)
  • Toulouse (8) — Bristol (9)
  • Bath (4) — Saracens (13)
  • Northampton (5) — Castres (12)
  • Glasgow (2) — Bulls (15)
  • Toulon (7) — Stormers (10)
  • Leinster (3) — Edinburgh (14)
  • Harlequins (6) — Sale (11)