With the European and South African club rugby seasons officially over, it is now time to look ahead to next season’s Investec Champions Cup. The Investec Champions Cup is an in-season tournament in which clubs from the Gallagher Premiership (England), TOP 14 (France), and United Rugby Championship (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and South Africa), compete. Round 1 is slated for the first weekend of December with the knockout stages starting in April.
Last season saw Stade Toulouse of the TOP 14 defeat Leinster Rugby of the URC 31-22 in front of 61,531 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. This season’s final will be played at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 24 May.
The top 8 teams at the end of the regular season for each respective union qualify for the following season’s Champions Cup. The champions of each union head up three of the four pools for the following season and the winner of the Champions Cup heads up the fourth. In the event that the Champions Cup Winner is also the champion if its respective union, the runner up of that season’s Investec Champions Cup is awarded the top spot in its respective pool.
The pool draw took place on 2 July, so here’s what we’re looking at for next season’s Investec Champions Cup:
Pool 1 | Pool 2 |
Stade Toulousain (TOP 14) | Leinster Rugby (URC – Ireland) |
Union Bordeaux-Bègles (TOP 14) | ASM Clermont Auvergne (TOP 14) |
Hollywoodbets Sharks (URC – South Africa) | Stade Rochelias (TOP 14) |
Exeter Chiefs (Gallagher Premiership) | Bristol Bears (Gallagher Premiership) |
Leicester Tigers (Gallagher Premiership) | Benetton Rugby (URC – Italy) |
Ulster Rugby (URC - Ireland) | Bath Rugby (Gallagher Premiership) |
Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
Northampton Saints (Gallagher Premiership) | Glasgow Warriors (URC - Scotland) |
Munster Rugby (URC – Ireland) | Racing 92 (TOP 14) |
Vodacom Bulls (URC – South Africa) | Sale Sharks (Gallagher Premiership) |
Stade Francais Paris (TOP 14) | DHL Stormers (URC – South Africa) |
Saracens (Gallagher Premiership) | RC Toulon (TOP 14) |
Castres Olympique (TOP 14) | Harlequins (Gallagher Premiership) |
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