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Premiership Rugby Cup quarter-final draw confirmed
By Jon Newcombe
Reigning Premiership Rugby Cup champions Gloucester will travel to Newcastle in the quarter-finals of this year's competition after qualifying as eighth seeds.
The Cherry & Whites beat Exeter Chiefs 22-14 at Sandy Park on Saturday in the final knockout round, with their first win at the Devon ground in over six years ensuring they kept their title defence alive.
The Chiefs, though, still finished four points clear at the top of Pool E and will host Sale Sharks in the second quarter-final. Exeter won the competition in 2023 and Sale in 2020.
Newcastle, meanwhile, went through with the best record of all the quarter-finalists, despite losing their first game of the competition, 19-17 away to Sale Sharks, who also qualified from Pool A as one of the best runners-up.
Ealing Trailfinders, who reached last year's semi-finals, are the only Championship team to make it through. Ben Ward's team will take on the competition's inaugural winners, Northampton, in the last eight. Northampton made sure of their presence in the knockout stages as winners of Pool B with a crushing 66-33 win away to Nottingham.
Harlequins' 32-10 win at Ealing ensured they beat their Championship rivals to first place in Pool C, while Bath finished first in Pool D despite slipping to their first defeat of the campaign, 40-21 at Bristol. The Bears fell short of qualifying as one of the best runners-up. Bath play Harlequins at home in the quarter-finals.
The 2024/25 Premiership Rugby Cup quarter-final draw:
QF 1 - Friday 28th February - Newcastle Falcons vs Gloucester Rugby (19.45 KO)
QF 2 - Saturday 1st March - Exeter Chiefs vs Sale Sharks (3pm KO)
QF 3 - Saturday 1st March - Northampton Saints vs Ealing Trailfinders (3pm KO)
QF 4 - Friday 28th February - Bath vs Harlequins (TNT Sports, 7.45pm KO)
Semi-Finals
1 Winner QF1 (Newcastle/Gloucester) vs Winner QF4 (Bath/Harlequins)
2 Winner QF2 (Exeter/Sale) vs Winner QF3 (Northampton/Ealing)
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Latest Comments
As they said on the pod, the signing of DMac and others show that the system is working well.
Go to commentsHe does cover them but he's not as good as any of the other specialist backrowers in any of them. He's not as good an 8 as Conan or Doris, he's not as good a flanker as any of the flankers I've mentioned and he's not as good a hybrid as Earl (yet).
At the moment most of his involvements are ball in hand but lightweight test number 8s aren't really a thing and his jackal work isn't test standard yet. I wouldn't put it beyond Pollock to play his way into contention, if anyone could do it, he could but I don't see it personally. If the Lions tour were in 2 years absolutely he'd be there. If Earl gets injured it makes it a lot more likely. I reckon Pollock may get a mid-tour callup. I'm pretty confident he won't go on the first plane though.
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