MUNSTER WILL TAKE on Harlequins – where Jerry Flannery now coaches – and French side Clermont in the pool stages of the 2020/21 Heineken Champions Cup.
Leo Cullen’s Leinster will face Northampton Saints and Montpellier.
Connacht have been drawn against Racing 92 – who made last season’s final – and Pat Lam’s Bristol.
Ulster will face Toulouse, who knocked them out in last season’s quarter-finals, and English side Gloucester.
With a new 24-team format in the Champions Cup for this season only due to calendar pressures caused by Covid-19, each club will play four pool games rather than the usual six.
The pool stages kick-off with back-to-back European weekends on 11/12/13 December and 18/19/20 December. The second set of pool games will be played in January.
Under the new format, the 24 clubs were divided into two pools of 12, with each club now set to play four games in the pool stage – two at home and two away.
Leinster are in Pool A, while Munster, Ulster, and Connacht are all in Pool B.
After the pool-stage games, the top four clubs in each of the two pools will qualify for the Champions Cup quarter-finals, while the clubs ranked numbers 5 to 8 in both pools will drop down into the knock-out stages of the Challenge Cup.
In the Champions Cup quarter-finals, the top team in Pool A will play the fourth-placed team in Pool B and vice versa. The second-ranked team in Pool A will play the third-placed club in Pool B and vice versa.
The clubs ranked numbers 1 and 2 from Pool A and Pool B will have an advantage in playing the second leg of their quarter-finals at home.
In the one-off semi-finals, the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage in a venue designated by EPCR.
The one-off final is scheduled to take place in Marseille on 22 May 2021.
2020/21 Heineken Champions Cup:
Pool A (with opponents in brackets):
Bordeaux-Bègles (Dragons, Northampton Saints)
Leinster Rugby (Montpellier, Northampton Saints)
Wasps (Dragons, Montpellier)
Bath Rugby (La Rochelle, Scarlets)
Edinburgh Rugby (La Rochelle, Sale Sharks)
RC Toulon (Sale Sharks, Scarlets)
La Rochelle (Bath Rugby, Edinburgh Rugby)
Sale Sharks (Edinburgh Rugby, RC Toulon)
Scarlets (Bath Rugby, RC Toulon)
Dragons (Bordeaux-Bègles, Wasps)
Montpellier (Leinster Rugby, Wasps)
Northampton Saints (Bordeaux-Bègles, Leinster Rugby)
Pool B (with opponents in brackets):
Exeter Chiefs (Glasgow Warriors, Toulouse)
Lyon (Glasgow Warriors, Gloucester Rugby)
Ulster Rugby (Gloucester Rugby, Toulouse)
Bristol Bears (ASM Clermont Auvergne, Connacht Rugby)
Munster Rugby (ASM Clermont Auvergne, Harlequins)
Racing 92 (Connacht Rugby, Harlequins)
ASM Clermont Auvergne (Bristol Bears, Munster Rugby)
Connacht Rugby (Bristol Bears, Racing 92)
Harlequins (Munster Rugby, Racing 92)
Glasgow Warriors (Exeter Chiefs, Lyon)
Gloucester Rugby (Lyon, Ulster)
Toulouse (Exeter Chiefs, Ulster Rugby)
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
Quarter-finals, 1st leg – 2/3/4 April 2021
Quarter-finals, 2nd leg – 9/10/11 April 2021
Semi-finals – 30 April – 1/2 May 2021
Final – Saturday 22 May.
What’s the story with the Irish press always leading with Munster in their rugby coverage? Munster haven’t won anything in nine years!
@Daniel Murphy: Most clicks
@Daniel Murphy: are you looking to get killed? They are gunna come for you in the comments, you asked for this!
@Gracey: autocorrect?
@Daniel Murphy: ulster arent mentioned in the title or subtitle. Only come in on the 4th paragraph. 2nd best province but nearly always overlooked
@Daniel Murphy: car crash journalism, everyone wants to see the wreak.
@Daniel Murphy: we’re kind of a big deal. :-)
@Rudiger McMonihan: exactly how have Ulster become Ireland’s second best team? They got 43 points in the pro14 compared to Munsters 51.
@John Buckley: for 2 years in a row ulster got further in Europe and made the league final this season. That’s how
@Chris Mc: wrong as always. Munster went further in 2019. For the amount of comments you make, how are you so clueless?
@John Buckley: cos empty vessels make the most noise
@John Buckley: Chris just throws as much sh*t as possible to see what might stick! Maybe it’s because Munster have the most passionate following and are guaranteed to get views??
@Daniel Murphy: in case you missed it, there is another Dorris article just up now
@Rudiger McMonihan: We are well used to it at this stage.
Nasty draw for Connacht
@Umpaloompa: yeah but the home game vs Bristol will be a cracker!!
Leinster always seem to play Montpelier and Saints. Hopefully get the french team after a few losses. They get deflated pretty quick
@Dan Jones: with only 3 teams in the group I’d imagine the most they could have is one loss before playing Leinster
All things going well munster could see themselves knocked out in the semis, not the quarters.
Muster v Clermont home and away is tasty and Connacht is seriously uphill. But some great fixtures to look forward to
Munster for the win!
For Ulster would hope that beat Toulose at home, most likily lose away. Beat Gloucester at home and the big game would be beating them away. Certainly capable of 3 from 4 wins bps will be crucial. But have a good chance of qualifing.
am I right in saying try bonus points will be huge in this?
winning your home games and at least one away will get you in the mix. With bonus points deciding things
@Seagoat returns: would think that 14 points might get you a home semi and 10 may be enough to qualify. Clermont have a harder draw than Munster having Bristol as well.
For those wondering why they always lead with munster for this is because they always get the hardest draw, manage to the knockouts somehow and then fall like a sack of spuds after that, whereas leinster are always expected to win their group
@Eric Murphy: Leinster were falling like sacks of spuds for a long time while Munster were winning European Cups.
Claremont is a decent trip! Connacht have the hardest draw tho.