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The EPCR have stated that Georgia’s Black Lion and the Toyota Cheetahs from South Africa have accepted invitations to compete in the 2023/24 EPCR Challenge Cup.
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The pair beat off a strong tender from Israel’s Tel Aviv Heat, who have been performing strongly in the Rugby Europe Super Cup.
This marks a significant milestone as Black Lion becomes the first Georgian club to participate in one of EPCR’s main professional tournaments. Meanwhile, the Cheetahs, who recently won the Currie Cup, return to the Challenge Cup after reaching the knockout stage last season.
The Toyota Cheetahs have been placed in Pool 1, where they will face Oyonnax Rugby, Section Paloise, Cell C Sharks, and Zebre Parma. Amsterdam in the Netherlands will serve as their designated “home” base for matches against European opponents. The location of their match against the Cell C Sharks is yet to be determined, depending on the ongoing fixture scheduling process, with possibilities including Bloemfontein or Durban.
Black Lion is grouped in Pool 3 and will take on former tournament winners Gloucester Rugby and ASM Clermont Auvergne, along with Castres Olympique and Scarlets. Their two home matches will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia.
EPCR Chairman, Dominic McKay, said: “The inclusion of Black Lion and the return of the Toyota Cheetahs reflect a continuing commitment to widen the scope of our tournaments and to showcase new, exciting talent for fans worldwide. The Toyota Cheetahs have already enhanced the EPCR Challenge Cup with their performance last season, and we are confident that the Georgians’ passion and physicality will further raise the intensity of the tournament.”
Georgian Rugby Union President, Ioseb Tkemaladze, said: “This is a hugely important moment for Georgian rugby and for the country. We’ve all been working hard for this – on the pitch and behind the scenes – for many years. We’re grateful to EPCR for taking a lead and showing the vision that is needed to further the global development and growth of the game. My personal gratitude to Dominic McKay and his amazing team for their hard work and support.”
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Toyota Cheetahs Chief Executive, Ross van Reenen, said: “We are pleased to have been invited to compete again in the EPCR Challenge Cup and after qualifying for the knockout stage last season, we believe we have the capacity to perform to a higher level in 2023/24. We are looking forward to making a big impression in Pool 1 of the tournament.”