Stormers in pool of death

The Stormers, hoping to breathe new life into their efforts in the Champions Cup, have been plunged in the pool of death in the preliminary stages of the next edition.

The Stormers will vie for pool supremacy against double-defending champions Stade Rochelais (La Rochelle), two-time winners Leicester Tigers, Stade Français Paris and Sale Sharks next season’s Champions Cup.

They will all play teams in other pools but the Stormers are well aware they will need to beef up their squad if they are going to have an extended run in the Champions Cup.

Pool stage fixtures will be finalised at a later date, before the competition kicks off in December.

Holders Stade Rochelais were drawn into what turned out to be a fiercely competitive Pool 4 in which they will clash once again with Leinster Rugby in a repeat of last May’s compelling final.

The Bulls have been group with Premiership winners Saracens, Union Bordeaux-Begles, Lyon and Connacht Rugby, but adhering to the key principles of the draw, they will not meet the Bristol Bears, who were also drawn into Pool 1.

The Bulls were paired with Lyon in the last instalment of the competition and secured a narrow home win before being well beaten in the away leg.

Recent Top 14 champions, Stade Toulousain (Toulouse), will clash with Harlequins, Bath Rugby, Ulster Rugby and Cardiff Rugby in Pool 2, and similarly the five-time tournament winners will not play against Racing 92, who also find themselves in Pool 2.

In Pool 3, URC winners Munster Rugby were drawn against high-quality opposition in three-time champions, RC Toulon, the 2020 winners, Exeter Chiefs, Northampton Saints and debutants, Aviron Bayonnais. Meanwhile, Glasgow Warriors, the second URC club in Pool 3, will play against the same opponents as Munster.

The Champions Cup features two clubs from the Top 14, Premiership and United Rugby Championship (URC) in each pool, and clubs from the URC’s Irish and South African shields were kept apart during the draw.

Tier 1 was made up of respective league winners Stade Toulousain, Saracens and Munster, as well as Champions Cup holders Stade Rochelais.

The remaining 20 clubs were either drawn or allocated into the four pools in keeping with the draw’s key principles.

During the pool stage, each club will play four matches against four different clubs that are not from the same league either home or away.

The fixture schedules for both tournaments with dates, venues, kickoff times and TV coverage will be announced as soon as possible.

Fixtures will be determined using an algorithm that will consider the outcome of today’s draws, league calendar restrictions, individual club calendar restrictions and broadcast requirements.

With its new formats, the 2023/24 EPCR season will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December, followed by a knockout stage consisting of a Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, culminating in the London finals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 24 and 25 May 2024.

Pool 1: Saracens, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Bulls, Bristol Bears, Connacht Rugby, Lyon

Pool 2: Stade Toulousain, Cardiff Rugby, Bath Rugby, Racing 92, Harlequins, Ulster Rugby

Pool 3: Munster Rugby, Aviron Bayonnais, Glasgow Warriors, Exeter Chiefs, RC Toulon, Northampton Saints

Pool 4: Stade Rochelais, Stade Français Paris, Leicester Tigers, Stormers, Leinster Rugby, Sale Sharks