In the lead up to the 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup round of 16, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with Investec to assess which teams are hot – and which are not – ahead of April’s knockouts.
Team of the week: Harlequins, England
Before the London derby between Harlequins and Saracens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, location for last year’s Investec Champions Cup final, it had been nearly 5,000 days since the south Londoners had beaten Sarries away from home.
And at half-time in north London, with Harlequins 12-0 down, many would have been forgiven for suggesting that the wait would go on.
But tries for Will Porter and Ben Waghorn, plus 13 points off the boot of academy graduate Jamie Benson, gave Harlequins a stunning 23-12 victory.
They were without the likes of Marcus Smith but proved their endeavour and spirit to get the job done in front of over 50,000.
And their fightback will give them confidence ahead of a tough Champions Cup round of 16 tie against Irish juggernauts Leinster at the iconic Croke Park. If they can start better than they did in north London they’ll pose a threat to the team that is effectively an Ireland international set-up.
Champions Cup who’s hot…
Ulster often go under the radar as one of the Irish provinces but racked up a good win over Dragons to make it two wins in a row against the Welsh. They head to Bordeaux in April for a crunch tie.
Glasgow Warriors redeemed their loss to the Ospreys with a win at home to Irish giants Munster. Glasgow are URC champions and looking to convert that into European success when they face Leicester next month.
…and who’s not
Northampton Saints welcomed back the majority of their England players on Friday night but lost 33-0 at home to arch rivals Leicester. It is a result that will give round of 16 opponents Clermont confidence.
Clermont have been up and down this season and they lost at home again, this time to Racing 92. They’re not firing at the moment but will be buoyed by Northampton’s woeful showing.
Previous Investec Champions Cup barometers
- Munster, Castres, Harlequins, Benetton, Ulster
- Toulouse, Leinster, Glasgow Warriors, Saracens
- Northampton, Benetton, Sale, Toulouse, Bordeaux
- RC Toulon, Leicester, Saracens, Clermont, La Rochelle
- Bordeaux, Castres, Toulouse, La Rochelle, Clarmont
- Ulster, Leinster, Bordeaux, Glasgow, Northampton
- La Rochelle, Leicester, Bordeaux, Leinster, Toulouse
- Saracens, Munster, Sale, Leicester, Toulon