Overview
- The knockout round runs Friday to Sunday, April 3–5, with ties including Northampton vs Castres, Toulon vs Stormers, Glasgow vs Bulls, Bath vs Saracens and other seeded home fixtures.
- Northampton ruled out fly-half Fin Smith under concussion protocols and confirmed tight-head Trevor Davison faces season-ending knee surgery, as Phil Dowson made six changes with Anthony Belleau starting at 10 and Fraser Dingwall in midfield.
- Stormers recalled Cobus Reinach from injury to start alongside fly-half Jurie Matthee, moved Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to the bench and lost Ben-Jason Dixon to a concussion from last week, signaling a fresh halfback axis for Toulon away.
- Bulls named a Springbok-heavy lineup with Handré Pollard at fly-half for the trip to Glasgow, while Warriors selected Stafford McDowall over Huw Jones in midfield in a call tailored to a physical, territorial contest.
- Pundits widely back the home sides to progress, noting that only two away teams have won last-16 ties in the past two seasons, which sets a high bar for traveling contenders seeking upsets.