Any Upsets in Round of 16? 2023-24 European Rugby Champions Cup Knockouts Betting Predictions & Winner Odds (April 5 – May 16)
The 2023/24 European Rugby Champions Cup is set to return after a two-and-a-half month break for its post-season phase this month. Just teams 16 remain from the original 24 as the road to London continues. We are here to dissect the latest 2024 European Rugby Champions Cup odds and give you all the best betting tips for the competition.
Key Info About the 2023/24 EU Rugby Champions Cup Post Season
The European Rugby Champions Cup will kick off its knockout phase with the round of 16 clashes on April 5. A series of matches from there on will decide who will be the last two standing on May 25 and lock horns for the title at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Toulouse, Leinster, Northampton Saints, and Bordeaux Bègles come to the postseason after winning their respective pools, while Harlequin, Bulls, Stormers, and Exeter Chiefs finished runner ups. With the top four teams from each of the four pools still alive in the tournament, who will survive the playoffs and lift the title this May? Read on for our EU Rugby Champions Cup 2024 playoffs predictions.
ℹ️ Tournament: | 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup, Post-season (Playoffs) |
🧾 Format: | Single-leg matches; winner goes to the next round |
🏟️ Venues: | Stadiums across Europe |
🗓️ Dates: | Friday, April 5 to Saturday, May 25, 2024 |
Understanding the 2024 Rugby Champions Cup Playoffs
The 2023/24 edition of the competition ditches the two-legged format in the knockout stages for single decisive matches. Home advantage will go to the higher-ranked teams. That means if Toulouse, who finished the pool stage as the best team overall, play Exeter Chiefs in the quarterfinals, the French side will play in front of their home crowd.
While the semifinals will be played at neutral grounds, the higher ranked teams will still get an advantage. They will not play in their own stadium, but the match will be played at a stadium within their country, giving them a slight edge because of the familiar atmosphere.
The newly built Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host the final. The 62,850-seat arena in London is home to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur FC. On May 25, however, it will treat viewers with a rugby union spectacle instead of a soccer showdown.
Winner of the Last Five European Rugby Champions Cups
Toulouse is the most successful team in the history of the competition, having taken the trophy home a record five times. Leinster, however, can match that feat if they can go all the way this season. Here are the past five champions and the teams they beat to snatch the crown:
- 2018-19: Saracens beat Leinster
- 2019-20: Exeter Chiefs beat Racing 92
- 2020-21: Toulouse beat La Rochelle
- 2021-22: La Rochelle beat Leinster
- 2022-23: La Rochelle beat Leinster
Leinster were left frustrated by La Rochelle in the last two seasons. Can James Ryan and Garry Ringrose lead them to victory this time? Let’s head into our European Rugby Champions Cup 2024 predictions and find out.
2024 European Rugby Champions Cup Odds
Before outlining our rugby 2023-24 European Champions Cup betting tips, we searched all betting apps online, including the newest online bookmakers, to find the best odds for the tournament. Here are the favorites, not just for further qualification but to win the entire thing:
As you can see, Leinster lead the race with the most favorable odds to become the 2024 European Rugby Champions Cup winner. The Irish rugby union outfit stands alone at the top of the odds board at 2.00 (1/1), boasting a commanding lead over their closest rival, Toulouse, at 3.25 (9/4). Hot on their heels are Bordeaux and La Rochelle, who share the third-favorite position with odds of 6.00 (5/1) each. Rounding out the top five contenders are the Bulls, priced as underdogs at a challenging 12.00 (11/1).
European Rugby Champions Cup 2024 Betting Tips
We went through the highest rugby union odds to finalize our Rugby Union EU Champions Cup 23/24 betting preview. Here are our expert picks:
Glasgow Warriors to Beat Harlequin @ 3.65 (53/20)
2 (100%)
0
Glasgow Warriors will travel to the English capital to take on Harlequin in their European Champions Cup Round of 16 tie. The Scottish side enter the fray as the 12th-seeded side, but they will draw inspiration from their encouraging current form. Warriors have been unbeaten in their past six outings. Their previous Champions Cup match will be the biggest motivating factor for the away side, in which they dismantled a formidable Toulon side.
Harlequin, on the other hand, don’t seem to be at their best at the moment. They did return to winning ways with a close victory against Bath at home, but the recent drubbing against Saracens should still be fresh in their minds. Harlequin have lost two of their last three games, so they need to be wary of a hungry Glasgow side on Friday night.
Stormers to Beat La Rochelle @ 2.20 (12/10)
2 (100%)
0
La Rochelle are the defending champions and they started their Champions Cup campaign eyeing a hattrick title. Les Maritimes, however, have endured a difficult start to the season. A recent string of favorable results have brought them to the top five in the Top 14 standings. Even though they put together a brilliant display to dispatch current league leaders Stade Francais, La Rochelle failed to capitalize as they lost to Bayonne on the road. As a result, they remained 12 points adrift of the top spot after 20 rounds of Top 14 action.
Their Champions Cup title defense has been far from convincing as well. La Rochelle managed to finish third in Pool D to bag a playoff spot, but now they must go back to the DHL Stadium, where they had already lost this season. Odds from the best sport betting app paint Stormers as the underdog, but we consider them favorites for this match.
Toulouse to Win @ 3.25 (9/4)
1 (50%)
(50%) 1
This should not come as a big surprise since French teams have been so dominant in the Champions Cup lately. There has been at least one French representative in each of the last four Champions Cup finals, and in three of them, the French side emerged as the victor. Toulouse appear to be the team to beat in both home and Europe this season. Antoine Dupont and company won their pool with ease, and we expect their winning march to continue till May 25.
Best 2024 European Rugby Champions Cup Predictions
After the thrill of the World Cup, rugby fans are set for another dose of top-tier union rugby action as the 2024 European Rugby Champions Cup returns for its postseason phase. Our European Rugby Champions Cup 2024 predictions say Stormers will secure back-to-back victories against current holders La Rochelle, and Toulouse will keep the trophy in France this time around.