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The most confusing Champions Cup pool draw ever has taken place... and new champions Exeter have it all to do
Newly crowned European champions Exeter Chiefs won’t get anything easy when they begin their Champions Cup title defence in December as they have been drawn against Toulouse and Glasgow in the revamped 2020/21 format.
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Rob Baxter’s side lifted the Champions Cup trophy for the first time after a dramatic 25th anniversary final earlier this month against Racing, but Exeter have a long road ahead if they are to reach next May’s decider in Marseille.
Under the new one-season format featuring two pools of twelve clubs, a structure that will generally confuse the rugby public, reigning Guinness PRO14 champions Leinster Rugby will have Montpellier and Northampton as their opponents in Pool A, while European runners-up Racing are in Pool B where they will be up against Connacht and Harlequins.
Wasps, who were edged out by the Chiefs in the Gallagher Premiership final, will meet Dragons and Montpellier in Pool A, and PRO14 finalists Ulster take on Gloucester and Toulouse in Pool B.
Munster will renew their European rivalry with Clermont and Harlequins in Pool B, while Bristol Bears boss Pat Lam will make a return to Galway when the Challenge Cup winners face off against Connacht and Clermont, also in Pool B.
Your 2020/21 #HeinekenChampionsCup Pools ?
Reigning champs @ExeterChiefs and semi-finalists @StadeToulousain are drawn together ??
While there'll be a re-run of the 2011 Final between @leinsterrugby and @SaintsRugby again..
Reaction?
More info ? https://t.co/B9Ly77tVcZ pic.twitter.com/GT6InxpeFf
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) October 28, 2020
For the purposes of the draw, the 24 clubs which qualified from the Premiership, the PRO14 and the TOP 14 were classified into four tiers based on their performances in the knockout phases of their respective leagues, and/or on their qualifying positions in their respective league tables.
Each tier contained six clubs with tier 1 made up of the number one and number two ranked clubs from each league, and tier 2, the number three and number four ranked clubs from each league, and so on. Starting with tier 1, the clubs were either drawn or allocated into either Pool A or Pool B so that each pool contained twelve clubs with no clubs in the same tier from the same league in the same pool.
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The tier 1 and tier 4 clubs which were drawn in the same pool, but which were not from the same league, will play one another home and away over four rounds. The same principle applied to the tier 2 and tier 3 clubs which were drawn in the same pool, but which were not from the same league.
The exact dates of the Heineken Champions Cup pool stage fixtures and the Challenge Cup preliminary stage fixtures – including venues, kick-off times and TV coverage – will be announced as soon as possible following consultation with clubs and EPCR’s partner broadcasters.
The four highest-ranked clubs from each Heineken Champions Cup pool will qualify for the quarter-finals which will be played over two legs, and the clubs ranked from number five to number eight in each pool will qualify for the round of 16 of the Challenge Cup.
2020/21 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP
POOL A (with opponents in brackets)
Bordeaux (Dragons, Northampton)
Leinster (Montpellier, Northampton)
Wasps (Dragons, Montpellier)
Bath (La Rochelle, Scarlets)
Edinburgh (La Rochelle, Sale)
Toulon (Sale, Scarlets)
La Rochelle (Bath, Edinburgh)
Sale (Edinburgh, Toulon)
Scarlets (Bath, Toulon)
Dragons (Bordeaux, Wasps)
Montpellier (Leinster, Wasps)
Northampton (Bordeaux, Leinster)
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POOL B (with opponents in brackets)
Exeter (Glasgow, Toulouse)
Lyon (Glasgow, Gloucester)
Ulster (Gloucester, Toulouse)
Bristol (Clermont, Connacht)
Munster (Clermont, Harlequins)
Racing (Connacht, Harlequins)
Clermont (Bristol, Munster)
Connacht (Bristol, Racing)
Harlequins (Munster, Racing)
Glasgow (Exeter, Lyon)
Gloucester (Lyon, Ulster)
Toulouse (Exeter, Ulster)
2020/21 season weekends
Round 1 – 11/12/13 December 2020
Round 2 – 18/19/20 December 2020
Round 3 – 15/16/17 January 2021
Round 4 – 22/23/24 January 2021
Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals, 1st leg – 2/3/4 April 2021
Challenge Cup Round of 16 – 2/3/4 April 2021
Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals, 2nd leg – 9/10/11 April 2021
Challenge Cup quarter-finals – 9/10/11 April 2021
Semi-finals – 30 April – 1/2 May 2021
2021 finals – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Challenge Cup final – Friday 21 May
Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 22 May
EPISODE 4 of RUGBYPASS OFFLOAD #RPOffload
Citing commissioners??
Team socials ?
Away Trips and WAGS ?iTunes – https://t.co/fgTx9iWHse
Acast – https://t.co/SR5K7kkH5B pic.twitter.com/Plmodrg3Z1— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 28, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Yet, according to Jake White and other twonks who think better, Jenkins shouldn’t be picked by the boks. Daft.
5 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments