The Sharks will make Challenge Cup history in May when they host Clermont Auvergne in the semi-finals of the EPCR competition in London.

For the first time, a South African team will contest a last-four clash in the prestigious European club tournament after John Plumtree’s charges beat fellow Vodacom URC side Edinburgh in a thrilling quarter-final at Kings Park on Saturday.

A strong second-half display by the Durbanites saw them recover from a half-time deficit to register a 36-30 victory, and they will face three-time winners Clermont in the English capital.

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The result marked the Sharks’ fourth win on the trot in Durban, and in the Challenge Cup. The semi-finals will play out on the first weekend in May, with Plumtree’s men set to lock horns with Les Jaunards at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday, 4 May.

The winners will contest the showpiece at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, 24 May against the victors between English Premiership club Gloucester and Italian outfit Benetton.

In a wrap of the sides in the Champions Cup semi-finals, four-time winners Leinster tackle the Northampton Saints – who make their first appearance after thrashing the Vodacom Bulls 59-22 – in Dublin, while French giants Toulouse face Harlequins at Le Stadium.

Challenge Cup semi-finals

Saturday, 4 May
Sharks vs Clermont (12.30pm)
Gloucester vs Benetton (3pm)

Champions Cup semi-finals

Saturday, 4 May
Leinster vs Northampton (5.30pm)

Sunday, 5 May
Toulouse vs Harlequins (4pm)

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