Quarterfinal victories for Bordeaux-Bégles and Toulon at the weekend have increased the chances of a French team winning the Champions Cup for the sixth-straight season.
Bath, Toulon, Leinster and Bordeaux will advance to the next phase of the Champions Cup after winning their respective quarterfinals over the weekend.
Bath fought back to claim a thrilling 43-41 victory against Northampton Saints on Friday evening.
While the game was played at a breakneck speed – with 11 tries scored overall – the hosts didn't have everything their own way, and punters who bet on the Saints' +10 handicap would have made a 2.00 return.
Toulon recorded the biggest upset of the weekend when they beat Glasgow Warriors 22-19 at Scotstoun on Saturday.
The French side went into the match with a +11 handicap, but showed remarkable grit and discipline to hang on for an important win.
Sale Sharks took the fight to Leinster in the first half of the playoff stage in Dublin, before the Irish side shifted gears in the second stanza, and secured a 43-13 win.
The late lapse cost the Sharks dearly, as well as the bettors who expected the visitors to finish within the +23 handicap.
The French derby staged in Bordeaux on Sunday lived up to they hype, and as expected, the result was in the balance until the death.
Bordeaux went toe to toe with Toulouse (2.10 underdogs), and eventually emerged with a 30-15 victory.
The upshot is that two clubs from France and one apiece from England and Ireland will advance to the Champions Cup semifinals.
Bordeaux won last year's title, while Toulouse and La Rochelle accounted for the previous four.
The last time an English side lifted the trophy was in 2020, while Leinster's previous European success was way back in 2018.
Will a French club win against this year, to stretch the country's winning streak to six seasons?
At this stage, it's possible that Bordeaux and Toulon could meet in the Champions Cup decider.
The Champions Cup semifinals will be staged on the first weekend of May, with Bordeaux hosting Bath and Toulon travelling to Dublin to face Leinster.
The penultimate round of the Challenge Cup playoffs will run concurrently, with Montpellier hosting the Dragons, and Ulster battling Exeter Chiefs in Belfast.
The South African teams will be back in action this coming weekend, as the United Rugby Championship resumes.
The Vodacom Bulls will travel to Newport to face the Dragons on Friday night, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks will also be in Wales this weekend, with their fixture against the Ospreys scheduled for Saturday evening.
The DHL Stormers will host Connacht in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon before the Fidelity Securedrive Lions tackle the Glasgow Warriors in Johannesburg.
All four South African teams remain in the running for the playoffs, with the Stormers (second place), Lions (fifth) and Bulls (eight) looking to nail down home quarterfinal berths, and the Sharks (10th) scrapping to qualify.
Bet On The Champions Cup At SuperSportBet
Looking to add excitement to the Champions Cup? Place your bets on your favourite teams and matches with competitive odds and diverse rugby betting markets at SuperSportBet.
