Dragons RFC face South African giants the Hollywoodbets Sharks on Sunday in the final pool game of the EPCR Challenge Cup (kick-off 5.30pm) – and ahead of the big game we look at the permutations.
Where we stand:
Dragons start the final round of fixtures in fifth place in the hunt for qualification – on seven points - but knowing they will have something to play for come kick off on Sunday, such as the fixtures fall.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks currently top Pool 1 with 12 points from three games and within touching distance of the knockout stages and a home draw.
Fellow South Africans, the Toyota Cheetahs, are in second place on nine points, ahead of a final round clash with Oyonnax at Stade Charles Mathon on Satuday, January 20 (kick-off 3.15pm).The French Top 14 side are out of the running for qualification on one point.
Section Paloise and Zebre Parma currently occupy third and fourth place in the pool on eight points – the Italians have a higher placing due to their points aggregate. They meet at Stade du Hameau in France on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 1pm).
Round 4 Fixtures:
- Saturday, January 20 - Section Paloise vs Zebre Pama - 1pm
- Saturday, January 20 - Oyonnax vs Toyota Cheetahs - 3.15pm
- Sunday, January 21 - Dragons RFC vs Hollywoodbets Sharks - 5.30pm
How many clubs qualify for the knockout stage?
The four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 1, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 2, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 3 and the fifth-ranked clubs from each of the four Investec Champions Cup Pools will qualify for the Round of 16.
How does home allocation work for the knockout stage?
All clubs will thereafter be ranked in descending order based firstly on their ranking in their pool and subsequently on the number of match points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16.
If two or more teams finish on the same number of match points, points difference from the pool stage matches is the first criterion, and then, the total number of tries scored during the pool stage is the second criterion.
The pool winners will be ranked 1 to 3, the second-placed clubs will be ranked 4 to 6, the two highest-ranked third-placed clubs will be ranked 7 and 8, the qualifying Investec Champions Cup clubs will be ranked 9 to 12, the remaining third-placed club will be ranked 13, and the fourth-placed clubs will be ranked 14 to 16.
The number 1-ranked club will play the number 16-ranked club, number 2 will face number 15, and so on, with the higher-ranked team hosting.
The Round of 16 will thereafter be played over one match as follows:
R16 1: Number 1-ranked club v Number 16-ranked club
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club v Number 15-ranked club
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club v Number 14-ranked club
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club v Number 13-ranked club
R16 5: Number 5-ranked club v Number 12-ranked club
R16 6: Number 6-ranked club v Number 11-ranked club
R16 7: Number 7-ranked club v Number 10-ranked club
R16 8: Number 8-ranked club v Number 9-ranked club
NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home advantage in the Round of 16.
Tickets for the clash with Sharks in Europe - as we bid to make it four home wins on the bounce - are on sale NOW by clicking HERE or by calling 01633 670690.
