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There may be four English sides left in the tournament at the quarter-final stage, but there could only just be one left come Sunday afternoon.
Two Scottish sides remain the soul representation from the United Rugby Championship.
Beaten finalists two years ago Toulon are joined by French compatriots Lyon.
Just 8️⃣ teams left…
Watch every #ChallengeCupRugby QF live on @btsportrugby and @beinsports_FR & @RCTofficiel v @londonirish also on @francetvsport ?Game of the round? ? pic.twitter.com/Xa7yPWYaHq
— EPCR Challenge Cup (@ChallengeCup_) May 2, 2022
Gloucester vs Saracens
The first match of the weekend will see two Gallagher Premiership sides battle it out for the first spot in the semi-final stage.
When we talk about Saracens battling it out for a European semi-final spot it’s usually in the elite competition of the European Champions Cup, but now on their journey back to the top of the game they find themselves with an opportunity to experience European silverware once again.
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You cheered your team to a record win on Saturday, but we need you to do it all over again on Friday night! ?
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? Buy now ? https://t.co/x2FkRNOX6Q
— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) May 3, 2022
For Gloucester this season looks like their best opportunity to avenge their loss versus Cardiff rugby in 2018’s final in Bilbao. This year Gloucester have been in their best form of recent times after a steady few years rebuilding under boss George Skivington.
Gloucester were favourites that year, with Saracens seeming to be everyone’s favourites this year; it’s a fair assumption to say whoever wins this one is red hot favourites to win the whole competition?
Edinburgh vs Wasps
Edinburgh remain one of two Scottish sides left in the competition, whilst both are also the sole remaining representatives of the United Rugby Championship.
Meanwhile, Wasps dropped down to the Challenge Cup after failing to qualify for the knockouts in the champions cup by a single point in Pool B.
Just because they were previously in the Champions Cup don’t think they will be getting an easy tie, as Edinburgh topped a Pool C that included fellow quarter-finalists London Irish and Saracens.
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Join us for a 12.30pm kick-off this Saturday as we take on @WaspsRugby in a can't-miss European QF! ✨
— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) May 3, 2022
With both sides having some of the most exciting available backlines to choose from in the competition, it could lead to a very open and expansive game, with both sides having opted to the ‘let’s not worry about defence, we’ll just outscore you in attack’ mentality more than a few times over the years.
Matchups like Emiliano Boffelli, Jaco Van Der Walt, and Blair Kinghorn for Edinburgh versus Malakai Fekitoa, Jacob Umaga, and Paolo Odogwu for Wasps could lead to a very intriguing battle out wide.
Lyon vs Glasgow Warriors
European newcomers Lyon have had quite the rise over the last few seasons, and this Saturday’s game will see them play their first ever knockout game in the Challenge Cup, having qualified as the best team in Pool B they skipped the round of 16 stage all together.
Whilst Glasgow Warriors dropped down from the Champions Cup, having finished as the best side in the competition outside of the qualification spots in Pool A.
Travelling to France will entail a hostile atmosphere for Glasgow to walk into, as the home advantage will be a massive advantage for Lyon as their fans will surely do all they can to push their side into their first ever Challenge Cup semi-final.
Toulon vs London Irish
Possibly one of the toughest away venues on the world rugby calendar, it will be a massive task for London Irish to find a result at the Stade Félix Mayol stadium in the South of France, especially with some of the superstars in the Toulon squad.
This match is a showcase of how you don’t need a lot of money to compete but it sure helps, with Toulon being a repeated semi-finalist in both European competitions most years. It’s going to be a tough task for Irish to compete against a European powerhouse like Toulon.
With Gabin Villière and Cheslin Kolbe operating out-wide it could be a long day, but Irish pack a punch of their own with Ollie Hassle-Collins and Ben Loader on their wings, but it will need to take players like Albert Tuisue to have a mammoth performance if they are to come away with anything.
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