THE FIXTURE LIST for this season’s Champions Cup has been released with all four Irish provinces facing tough tests in the opening weekend of the campaign.
The Heineken Champions Cup will once again be competed for by 24 clubs in two pools of 12 with eight representatives from each of Europe’s leading professional leagues.
Leinster begin their quest for a fifth title with a home game against Bath on the weekend of 10/11/12 December. That same weekend sees Ulster travel to play Clermont Auvergne, Wasps take on Munster and Connacht host Stade Francais.
A week later, Ulster host Northampton, Munster play Castres in Thomond Park while Connacht travel to Leicester and Leinster to Montpellier.
The third round is a reverse of those fixtures in the week ending January 14/15/16 with Munster in Castres, Ulster in Northampton, Connacht hosting Leicester and Leinster taking on Montpellier.
Round four sees Stade host Connacht, Bath take on Leinster, Munster play Wasps and Ulster take on Clermont in Belfast.
A modified Challenge Cup format will see 15 clubs with 10 European titles between them competing in three pools of five. Three-time finalists, RC Toulon, two-time winners, Gloucester Rugby, and Saracens, will be among the favourites to lift silverware in Marseille later this season, while another former Challenge Cup winner, Biarritz Olympique, return to European competition after an absence of seven years.
Reigning Gallagher Premiership champions, Harlequins, kick off their quest for a first top-flight European title with a visit to Castres Olympique in Round 1.
Highlights of the back-to-back clashes in Rounds 2 and 3 on the weekends of 17/18/19 December and 14/15/16 January 2022 feature the Pool A matches between Sale Sharks and ASM Clermont Auvergne, and the meetings of Stade Francais Paris and Bristol Bears in Pool B.
The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the knockout stage which will consist of a Round of 16 on a home and away basis, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final in Marseille on 28 May 2022.
The 15 Challenge Cup clubs have been allocated into three pools based on their rankings from last season’s leagues and the pool stage will be played over five rounds starting on the weekend of 10/11/12 December and finishing on the weekend of 8/9/10 April 2022.
A Round of 16 will be played on the weekend of 15/16/17 April 2022, followed by quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final at the Stade Vélodrome, Marseille on 27 May 2022.
Clubs will only play against opponents from their own pool, and one club in each pool will have a bye during each round. A limited number of fixtures will see clubs playing against opponents from the same league.
Saracens will kick off their Pool C campaign with a home tie against Edinburgh Rugby, and London Irish will travel to face Section Paloise, while both Gloucester and Dragons will also be up against French opposition in Round 1 when they clash with Lyon and USAP respectively. The three highest-ranked clubs from each pool, and the highest-ranked fourth-placed club, as well as the three clubs ranked 9 to 11 from each of the Heineken Champions Cup pools, will qualify for the Round of 16.
The exact dates of the pool stage fixtures in both tournaments, as well as kick-off times and TV coverage, will be announced following further consultation with clubs and EPCR’s partner broadcasters.
