The top matches you should be keeping an eye on this weekend as the Investec Champions Cup returns
The Champions Cup returns this weekend with the group stage action getting underway on Friday evening. There are two games starting at 8pm GMT which are kicking off the competition with Bayonne hosting the Stormers and Glasgow Warriors travelling to Sale.
The defending champions this season are Bordeaux Begles after they defeated Northampton Saints 28-20 in the final back in May. It continued the French domination in the competition as fans have to go back to the 2019/20 season for when a non-French team won. That season it was England’s Exeter Chiefs who raised the trophy.
Read more: How to watch the Champions Cup
Bordeaux kick off their campaign on Saturday against the Bulls but there are five other fixtures which all supporters need to keep an eye on. Which ones are they? Have a read below to find out all of the information you need.
Five Champions Cup games you need to watch this weekend
(All times in GMT)
1. Sale Sharks v Glasgow Warriors, Friday, 5 December, 8pm
Warriors’ Sione Tuipulotu in action (Getty Images)
The England Scotland rivalry will be once again reignited but this time at club level when this absolute corker of a match between Sale and Glasgow brings the curtain down on the competition this season. The internationals such as Sione Tuipulotu and Tom Curry are back from Autumn Nations Series duty and are ready to smash open the European season.
However, while Glasgow have gone all in with their returning internationals, Sale are without a few key figures. George Ford, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Luke Cowan-Dickie are all absent. Ford picked up a groin injury against Exeter Chiefs last month after returning from an impressive autumn with England. Sale Sharks head coach Alex Sanderson said he did not expect Ford to be out for a long time, adding he is a “quick healer”.
It means Rob du Preez will wear the fly-half shirt for the game which is a replay of a group stage match which took place last season. Glasgow blew Sale away last December and they are looking to replicate the result on Friday. They will have to overturn their rivals away from home but they will have the slight edge given the fire power in their matchday 23.
Read more: How did Cowan-Dickie end up at Sale Sharks?
Leinster v Harlequins, Saturday, 6 December, 5.30pm
Cadan Murley of Harlequins runs with the ball (Getty Images)
Leinster are having an up and down season with just three wins from three games in the United Rugby Championship but they will be all the more determined to win the Champions Cup this season. After losing consecutive finals to La Rochelle, they lost to Northampton Saints in the semi-finals last season. The pain of not being able to add to their European trophy haul, despite huge dominance in the competition, will motivate the Irish club to get their campaign well.
If the recent result between the two teams is to be repeated then Harlequins fans may not want to tune in. The last time they competed against one another was in last season’s round of 16 when Leinster crushed Quins 62-0. That result will be in the minds of the London club when they travel to Dublin on Saturday.
The Quins wing Cadan Murley said in the build-up these clashes are exactly the ones players want to compete in. He told BBC Radio London: “It’s the challenge. You sign up to be a professional rugby player, you want to play in these big games, you want to play against the best, you want to beat the best, that’s how we’ve got to sell it. We all believe we are good enough to put a performance in, bring your best, if everyone can get to a seven or eight out of 10 then it puts us in good stead.”
La Rochelle v Leicester, Saturday, 6 December, 5.30pm
La Rochelle’s Irish coach Ronan O’Gara walks next to his players (Getty Images)
La Rochelle went through a period in the Champions Cup where they were utterly dominant. In 2022 and 2023 they lifted the silverware, beating Leinster in both finals. They then reached the 2023/24 semi-finals but were beaten by their Irish rivals and the following season they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Munster. The French club will be bidding to get back to their dominant ways and first up they have Leicester Tigers.
The English club, meanwhile, have had a much longer wait to get their hands back on the trophy. It was the 2001/02 season when they last lifted the silverware despite some good domestic form over the last 23 years. In the current campaign they are fourth in the Premiership after recording four wins from six games.
This fixture is one to watch because they have recent history. They came to blows in January 2024 where La Rochelle blew Leicester away 45-12 to end the English side’s unbeaten start in the competition last season. Leicester will be looking to enact revenge for the result on Saturday but it will be a tough ask as they are away from home. French crowds are characteristically hostile and if Leicester do pull off a big win it will be a statement result.
Bath v Munster, Saturday, 6 December, 8pm
Finn Russell kicking a ball (Getty Images)
This match is set to be a thriller. Bath are once again in fantastic form this season and the atmosphere at the Rec reflects the magic supporters are seeing on the pitch. The reigning Premiership champions are looking to win another European trophy this season after picking up the Challenge Cup last campaign. The west country side are aiming to go a step further this season but their first opponents will be looking to take the wind out of their sails.
Munster have not won the silverware since the 2007/08 season. The Irish club are also in their own great form as they are third in the United Rugby Championship having only lost one of five of their matches. The highlight of Munster’s team news is that Michael Ala’alatoa is set to make his club debut after joining from Clermont. The star has been named on the bench. While for Bath, Finn Russell is at fly-half and he would have been tipped to be one to watch anyway it is also his 50th appearance for the club. The milestone will see him more motivated to have a positive impact.
It will also be an interesting clash as the two clubs have not played one another competitively since 2000. That was a Champions Cup double header with both sides claiming a result each and so this fixture will act as a delayed decider.
Toulouse v Sharks, Sunday, 7 December, 3.15pm
Thomas Ramos in training (Getty Images)
Toulouse will be favourites to win this epic battle between two clubs who boast a host of international stars. The hosts have the likes of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack and Thomas Ramos in their ranks. While the Sharks usually have South Africa’s Andre Esterhuizen and Bongi Mbonambi amongst their squad but they are not involved as they have just returned from international duty.
The Sharks will also be down a star as Eben Etzebeth as he has been banned for 12 weeks. The Springboks player has been handed the ban after a deliberate eye gouge on Alex Mann when South Africa played Wales last month. But they do still have a star studded side with the likes of and Makazole Mapimpi in the starting line-up.
The depreciated Sharks and the fact Toulouse are at home only bolster their chances of getting their campaign off to the perfect start. They have also been boosted by the return of star player Dupont, who starts from the bench after recovering from his ACL injury. It’s a clash of the titans but the French side will be a nudge ahead in taking the bragging rights which may taste sweeter for the French internationals who were beaten by South Africa in November.
Read more: Dupont Air BnB
Player to watch: Antoine Dupont
TOULOUSE, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 29: Gael Fickou of Racing 92 tries to stop Antoine Dupont of Stade Toulousain during the Top 14 match between Toulouse and Racing 92 on at Stade Ernest-Wallon November 29, 2025 in Toulouse, France. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)
This may seem like an obvious choice but Dupont is building his minutes back after returning from an ACL injury. He came back last Saturday against Racing 92 and will add to his minutes this Sunday.
The scrum-half is arguably the best player on the planet and will be looking to build back to his meticulous best over the coming games.
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