Overview
- The weekend slate features Leicester v Leinster on Friday, Sharks v Saracens and Stormers v La Rochelle on Saturday, then Northampton v Bulls and a late Sunday Bristol v Pau kickoff that Pat Lam fears could curb home support.
- Leinster made seven changes for Welford Road with Harry Byrne at fly-half, Rieko Ioane handed his first Leinster start, James Ryan restored to the second row, and Tadhg Furlong and Ronan Kelleher starting up front.
- The Sharks overhauled their XV for Saracens as André Esterhuizen captains on his 100th appearance, Bongi Mbonambi, Siya Kolisi and Grant Williams return, Aphelele Fassi is fit at fullback, and a 6–2 bench signals a forward-heavy plan.
- The Stormers reintroduce multiple Springboks for La Rochelle, whose coach Ronan O’Gara has named a youthful side including academy starters, with captain Grégory Alldritt rested for the trip to Gqeberha.
- Toulouse travel to Glasgow with an LNR salary‑cap verdict pending over Melvyn Jaminet’s 2022 transfer, a case that could lead to a Top 14 points deduction according to AFP reporting.