After a hectic day of permutations, the Champions Cup quarter-final pairings have been confirmed.
With two of the Irish provinces going into this final round of matches in need of a win at the very least, Ulster were unfortunate to crash out at the pool stages once again; a heavy defeat to Wasps sealing their fate on the final day.
For Munster, a convincing win against Castres in Thomond Park assured that today would not be the final time this crowd witnessed Simon Zebo playing a big European tie in Limerick.
With Leinster having already concluded their own stellar pool stage performances yesterday, we now have a fuller picture of the Champions Cup and the remaining sides involved as it takes a break to make way for the Six Nations.
Champions Cup Quarter-Final Pairings:
The teams that have made it through the final round of matches are as follows:
Leinster
Clermont
Munster
Scarlets
La Rochelle
Toulon
Racing 92
Saracens
With each Champions Cup quarter-final set to take at the end of March, after the conclusion of the Six Nations, the draws will be as follows (the home side designated on the left).
Champions Cup Quarter-Final Pairings:
Leinster vs Saracens
Clermont vs Racing 92
Munster vs Toulon
Scarlets vs La Rochelle
Both of last year's finalists, Clermont and the eventual winners Saracens feature in this year's quarter-final stages again.
Where Wasps, Glasgow and Toulouse have failed to replicate their Champions Cup quarter-final status of 2016/17, La Rochelle, Racing and Scarlets fill the berth.
With elite club rugby now facing a stage in the backdrop for the beginning of the Six Nations, this draw could potentially result in an All-Ireland Munster vs Leinster clash in Bilbao in mid-May.
