EPCR Finals Weekend Preview

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is set to host two of the most prestigious finals in club rugby this weekend.

It’s all been building up to this – the EPCR Finals Weekend. Two of the most prestigious finals in all of club rugby are set to be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend. The first to be played will be the 2024 EPCR Challenge Cup Final on Friday 24th May, followed by this year’s Investec Champions Cup Final on Saturday 25th May 2024.

The Challenge Cup Final will get underway at 20:00pm, whilst the Champions Cup Final a day later will kick-off at 14:45pm on Saturday afternoon.

This weekend it is looking likely that large crowds will be present to create an incredible atmosphere for both games. This is the first time that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has hosted both of these prestigious finals, and it is also hosting some of the best teams in the world including Leinster and Stade Toulousain.

For example, the record attendance for a Champions Cup Final game came in 2012 when no less than 81,774 fans witnessed Leinster beat Ulster 42 – 14 at Twickenham. As for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the attendance record is 62,027, which was for a match between Arsenal and Spurs on 12th May 2022.

The Challenge Cup Final is set to be contested between England’s Gloucester Rugby and South Africa’s Hollywoodbets Sharks (Sharks for short). As for the Champions Cup Final, this is set to be played between Ireland’s Leinster and France’s Stade Toulousain (Toulouse).

Here, we are going to preview both of these highly anticipated matches – starting with the Challenge Cup Final on Friday.

Both Gloucester and Sharks had tough roads to the final. Gloucester finished top of Pool 3 with 4 victories out of 4, before being drawn against Castres Olympique in the Round of 16. They were able to beat their French counterparts 30 – 25 in the end at Kingsholm to secure passage into the Quarter Finals.

Ospreys were Gloucester’s next opponents, and following a competitive contest, Gloucester once again managed to come out on top – this time by a margin of 23 – 13. The draw for the semi-final then saw them drawn against Benetton. It was another momentous victory for Gloucester, who won 40 – 23 to reach the prestigious EPCR Challenge Cup Final.

As for the Sharks, they finished top of Pool 1 with 17 points and 3 wins from their 4 pool matches. This then saw them drawn against Zebre Parma in the Round of 16, who they beat emphatically by a margin of 47 -3 at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park.

Then, in the Quarter Finals, Sharks’ next opponents were Edinburgh, and following what was a much tenser and more competitive contest than the last round, Sharks emerged as 36 -3 30 winners to bring themselves a step closer to the Final.

A place in the EPCR Challenge Cup Final was secured at the Twickenham Stoop when the Sharks were 32 – 31 winners against France’s ASM Clermont Auvergne.

Anticipation and excitement are now high for the showpiece Final on Friday 24th May 2024, with the game getting underway at 20:00 that evening.

Moving on to the Investec Champions Cup, we have two of the most high-profile teams on the planet going head to head in the Final at the iconic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between Leinster and Stade Toulousain.

Combined, these two teams have won a total of 9 Champions Cup titles between them. It is Stade Toulousain (Toulouse) who have won the most of any other club, with 5 to their name (1995/96, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2009/10 and most recently in 2020/21). They were also runners-up in 2003/04 and in 2007/08.

As for Leinster, they have won the second most Investec Champions Cup titles with 4, so they could draw level with their French counterparts with a win. The Irish side won their Champions Cups in 2008/09, 2010/11, 2011/12, and most recently in 2017/18. Leinster were runners-up in 2018/19, 2021/22 and in 2022/23.

As mentioned earlier, Leinster’s fourth Champions Cup title came in 2017/18 – more specifically in May 2018. Their 15 – 12 win over Racing 92, as they went on to seal a historic league and Champions Cup double when they won the league title with a 40 – 32 win against Scarlets.

Excitement and anticipation are now building for the 2024 EPCR Finals Weekend, where the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup Finals will be taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday 24th, and Saturday 25th May 2024.

There is no better way to experience the European Professional Rugby (EPCR) Finals Weekend – including the 2024 Investec Champions Cup and Challenge Cup Finals – than with an Eventmasters VIP Hospitality Package. Book now to avoid disappointment!