Round 6 Notes
- Four competition winners – Pau 2000, Gloucester Rugby 2006 and 2015, Cardiff Blues 2010 and Stade Français Paris 2017 – have qualified for the quarter-finals.
- The Guinness PRO14 and the TOP 14 are each represented by three clubs in the knockout stage, while the Aviva Premiership has two.
- The No 1 ranked club, Pau, are through to the last eight for the first time since 2005
- Brive have booked their place in the quarter-finals for a competition record 13th
- Holders Stade Français Paris, who won a first European trophy in Edinburgh last season, are once again the eighth-ranked club going into the knockout stage.
- Connacht Rugby have qualified for the 10th time, but have secured a home quarter-final for the first time since 2010.
- Pau, Newcastle Falcons and Connacht all went through the pool stage unbeaten.
- Newcastle’s Adam Radwan, who scored a hat-trick in the win over Enisei-STM, is the top try scorer from the pool stage with an impressive 10. Radwan also leads the statistics categories in metres made (630) and defenders beaten (45).
- The 2014 European Player of the Year, Steffon Armitage, was a try scorer for Pau in their away win over Gloucester.
- Jack Carty of Connacht is the leading points scorer at the end of the pool stage with 53.
- Mathieu De Giovanni of Stade Français Paris and the Dragons’ Aaron Wainwright are the joint top-tacklers with 93 apiece.
Fixtures
| Date | Time | Home | Away | Venue |
| QF 29/30/31 Mar, 1 Apr | TBA | Connacht Rugby | Gloucester Rugby | TBA |
| QF 29/30/31 Mar, 1 Apr | TBA | Edinburgh Rugby | Cardiff Blues | TBA |
| QF 29/30/31 Mar, 1 Apr | TBA | Newcastle Falcons | Brive | TBA |
| QF 29/30/31 Mar, 1 Apr | TBA | Pau | Stade Français Paris | TBA |
Semi Finals
Following confirmation of the quarter-final line-up, the semi-final pairings will be as follows:
Semi-final 1 - winner of QF 1: Pau v Stade Français Paris will play the winner of QF 2: Edinburgh Rugby v Cardiff Blues
Semi-final 2 - winner of QF 3: Connacht Rugby v Gloucester Rugby will play the winner of QF 4: Newcastle Falcons v Brive
NB The format for the semi-final matches in the Challenge Cup recognises performances by clubs during the pool stage as well as the achievement of winning a quarter-final match away from home.
The following clubs will have home venue advantage in their respective semi-final matches:
Semi-final 1
If Pau (ranked No 1) and Edinburgh Rugby (ranked No 4) win their quarter-finals, Pau will have home venue advantage
If Pau (ranked No 1) and Cardiff Blues (ranked No 5) win their quarter-finals, Cardiff Blues will have home venue advantage
If Stade Français Paris (ranked No 8) and Edinburgh Rugby (ranked No 4) win their quarter-finals, Stade Français Paris will have home venue advantage
If Stade Français Paris (ranked No 8) and Cardiff Blues (ranked No 5) win their quarter-finals, Cardiff Blues will have home venue advantage
Semi-final 2
If Connacht Rugby (ranked No 3) and Newcastle Falcons (ranked No 2) win their quarter-finals, Newcastle Falcons will have home venue advantage
If Connacht Rugby (ranked No 3) and Brive (ranked No 7) win their quarter-finals, Brive will have home venue advantage
If Gloucester Rugby (ranked No 6) and Newcastle Falcons (ranked No 2) win their quarter-finals, Gloucester will have home venue advantage
If Gloucester Rugby (ranked No 6) and Brive (ranked No 7) win their quarter-finals, Gloucester will have home venue advantage
Semi-finals: 20/21/22 April
2018 Challenge Cup final: Friday, 11 May; San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao (21.00)
Pools
| Pool 1 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Q Newcastle Falcons | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 229 | 122 | 107 | 33 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| 2 | Dragons | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 156 | 133 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | Bordeaux-Bègles | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 190 | 178 | 12 | 26 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | Enisei-STM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 91 | 233 | -142 | 12 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pool 2 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Q Cardiff Blues | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 99 | 95 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | Toulouse | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 117 | 120 | -3 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Sale Sharks | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 110 | 102 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Lyon | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 130 | -9 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Pool 3 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Q Pau | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 207 | 125 | 82 | 28 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| 2 | q Gloucester Rugby | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 253 | 139 | 114 | 37 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| 3 | Zebre Rugby Club | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 133 | 257 | -124 | 16 | 37 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Agen | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 148 | 220 | -72 | 20 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Pool 4 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Q Edinburgh Rugby | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 282 | 98 | 184 | 40 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | q Stade Français Paris | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 151 | 166 | -15 | 21 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 17 |
| 3 | London Irish | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 169 | 154 | 15 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | Krasny Yar | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 106 | 290 | -184 | 13 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Pool 5 | |||||||||||||
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Q Connacht Rugby | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 102 | 123 | 29 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| 2 | q Brive | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 161 | 162 | -1 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 3 | Worcester Warriors | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 124 | 133 | -9 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 4 | Oyonnax | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 102 | 215 | -113 | 11 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
