Bath survive Zebre scare

Bath Rugby secured the first Challenge Cup quarter-final spot but were made to fight back from 14 points down before eventually seeing off Zebre Rugby Club 35-27 in Parma.

A hat-trick from wing Pierre Bruno inside 22 mins gave Zebre hope of a shock success, with Joe Cokanasiga scoring the first of his two tries on 15 minutes.

But the visitors eventually clicked into gear with Will Stuart bulldozing over with the clock in the red and they came out in the second half a revitalised side.

A powerful score from Ben Obano and then an Anthony Watson try after a nice break from Orlando Bailey pushed Bath ahead for the first time, before Jacques du Toit nudged over to secure the spot in the last eight.

Saints defeat Dragons in epic encounter

Northampton Saints came back from 19 points down to earn a late 43-39 victory against Dragons in the Challenge Cup at Rodney Parade.

Wing Taqele Naiyaravoro was the hero of the piece. He touched down twice – including one in the final ten minutes – to secure the unlikeliest of comebacks for the visiting Gallagher Premiership side.

Ollie Sleightholme, Alex Mitchell, Teimana Harrison all touched down in the second half before Naiyaravoro and Tom Collins completed the turnaround with two tries in two minutes as the clock ticked down.

A brace from Ashton Hewitt and tries from Sam Davies, Matthew Screech and Leon Brown seemed to have kept the visitors at arms-length throughout the second half – but a 70th minute sin-bin for Dragons’ Eliott Dee proved to be the catalyst for Saints’ late dramatics.

Leicester topple Connacht

Leicester Tigers scored seven tries as they defeated Connacht Rugby 48-32 to secure a spot in the last eight.

The visitors started on top but would soon surrender the lead to the two-time European champions, one that Leicester would hold onto for the rest of the match.

It was the work of Sean O’Brien that gave Connacht the opening try, before Leicester hit back with tries through Charlie Clare and Guy Porter.

The two sides traded blows in the second half, but Leicester were always in control, adding five further tries in a blistering final 55 minutes.

Ulster prove too strong for Harlequins

Ulster Rugby cruised into the quarter-finals with a 57-21 win over Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop.

It was domination from start to finish from the Irish province who proved much too strong for a depleted Harlequins outfit.

Stuart McCloskey ran in the first of eight tries for the visitors, with four tries coming either side of the break in what was a stunning display from the 1999 European Cup winners.

Full Round of 16 Results:

Zebre Rugby Club 27 Bath Rugby 35

London Irish 41 Cardiff Blues 35

Montpellier 26 Glasgow Warriors 21

Benetton Rugby 29 Agen 16

Ospreys 24 Newcastle Falcons 28

Dragons 39 Northampton Saints 43

Leicester Tigers 48 Connacht Rugby 32

Harlequins 21 Ulster Rugby 57

Our Season Reviews head into the knockout stages now, with a look back at the Round of 16 which saw a whole host of European heavyweights move into the quarter-finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup.