Saints discover who they will host in Champions Cup round of 16

Phil Dowson's men secured a bonus-point 43-28 win against Scarlets at cinch Stadium on Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday afternoon to make sure of second spot in Pool 4.

Saints are seeded fifth of the 16 qualifiers and will take on 12th-ranked Castres, who finished third in Pool 2, behind Bath and Toulon.

The black, green and gold beat Castres 51-16 in the quarter-final at the Gardens last season.

Should Saints beat Castres in the round of 16, they would either travel to Bath or host Saracens in the quarter-finals as those two sides are scheduled to meet at The Rec in the knockout stages.

Saints are on the same side of the draw as Union Bordeaux Bègles, which means they would have to travel to face the European champions in the semi-finals if both sides make it that far.

Champions Cup round of 16 - April 3/4/5

R16 1: Union Bordeaux Bègles (1) v Leicester Tigers (16)

R16 2: Glasgow Warriors (2) v Vodacom Bulls (15)

R16 3: Leinster Rugby (3) v Edinburgh Rugby (14)

R16 4: Bath Rugby (4) v Saracens (13)

R16 5: Saints (5) v Castres Olympique (12)

R16 6: Harlequins (6) v Sale Sharks (11)

R16 7: RC Toulon (7) v DHL Stormers (10)

R16 8: Stade Toulousain (8) v Bristol Bears (9)

NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home venue advantage

Quarter-finals – April 10/11/12

QF 1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 8

QF 2: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 7

QF 3: Winner R16 3 v Winner R16 6

QF 4: Winner R16 4 v Winner R16 5

NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage

Semi-finals – May 1/2/3

SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4

SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3

NB The matches will be played in Europe and where relevant the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage

2026 Investec Champions Cup final: Saturday, May 23; San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao