Stormers and Bulls earn home ties as Champions Cup Round of 16 confirmed

The Stormers secured second place in Pool 4 after a hard-fought 24-20 win over Stade Francais in Paris.

Their reward is a last-16 match at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town - albeit against defending European champions La Rochelle, a repeat of the pool fixture in December when Manie Libbok converted a last-minute conversion from the sidelines to snatch a 21-20 victory.

Meanwhile, the Bulls also finished second in their pool after a heart-stopping 46-40 win over high-flying Bordeax-Begles at Loftus.

The victory means they earn the right to host another French outfit Lyon at home in their last 16 clash.

Meanwhile, the three South African teams competing in the Challenge Cup - the Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions - all advanced to the Round of 16 as well.

The Sharks impressed away from home with a 29-9 win over the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday.

This competition has proven to be a welcome relief for the Durban outfit, who have struggled mightily in the URC. They managed to win three of their four games in Pool 1 and are top seeds going into the knockout stages.

John Plumtree's men will face Zebre Parma in the last 16 with a game against either Edinburgh or Bayonne in the quarter-finals should they get through that.

The Cheetahs, meanwhile, suffered a heart-breaking last-minute 28-27 defeat against Oyonnax in France on Saturday but still managed to qualify in third place in Pool 1.

The men from Bloemfontein played the majority of the match with 14 men after an early red card and very nearly hung on for an unlikely victory away from home before having their hopes dashed with a try from their opponents deep in extra time.

They live to fight another day, however, and will travel to France to face Clermont Auvergne for a place in the quarter-finals.

As for the Lions, they also lost over the weekend, going down 38-28 to Ospreys in Johannesburg, but still managed to sneak into the last 16 with a fourth-place finish in Pool 2.

They will make the trip to Italy to face URC opponents Benetton in their last-16 tie.

CHAMPIONS CUP Round of 16 (April 5/6/7)

Bulls v Lyon

Stormers v La Rochelle

Stade Toulousain v Racing 92

Leinster v Leicester Tigers

Northampton Saints v Munster

Bordeaux-Begles v Saracens

Harlequins v Glasgow Warriors

Exeter Chiefs v Bath

CHALLENGE CUP Round of 16 (April 5/6/7)

Sharks v Zebre Parma

Benetton v Lions

Clermont Auvergne v Cheetahs

Gloucester v Castres Olympique

Montpellier v Ulster

Section Paloise v Connacht

Ospreys v Sale Sharks

Edinburgh v Aviron Bayonnais

READ MORE: Sharks claim top spot in Challenge Cup pool with victory at Dragons