Fixture details for Munster’s Champions Cup Round of 16 clash with the Sharks confirmed

It will be the first of two trips to South Africa in less than a month for Graham Rowntree’s men.

The fixture for Munster’s Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 clash with the Cell C Charkshas been confirmed for Saturday April 1.

The Sharks will have home advantage for the match at Kings Park in Durban with kick off at 1.30pm (local time).

Munster qualified for the Champions Cup knockout stages after finishing in sixth place in Pool B. They concluded their pool stage with a narrow 20-16 defeat to Toulouse in Stade Ernest-Wallon on Sunday afternoon. Tries from Tadhg Beirne and John Hodnett had Munster ahead in the second half before the hosts launched their comeback late on.

Munster had booked their place in the knockout stages prior to kick-off with the losing bonus point seeing them finish sixth in the Pool.

The Round of 16 tie will be the first of Graham Rowntree’s men against the South African’s this season as they prepare for a final round clash in the URC on April 22 where the Sharks will also have home advantage.

This is the South African’s sides first season in the Champions Cup. In their maiden URC season last year, they were beaten in the quarter-finals by finalists the Bulls.

Last year, Munster were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup after beating Exeter Chiefs in the Round of 16.