Two rule changes for Champions Cup and Challenge Cup in bid to improve competitiveness

The EPCR have made a couple of tweaks to the rules ahead of the new season.

Union Bordeaux Bègles' Cameron Woki celebrates with the Champions Cup Trophy. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Competition organisers EPCR have unveiled two key rule changes for the Champions and Challenge Cups in 2026-27 but have insisted there will be no reduction in the number of participating teams until at least 2030.

EPCR on Monday announced they were introducing offensive try bonus points similar to the existing French Top 14 and Super Rugby models which benefit a team scoring three or more tries more than their opposition, while they have also attempted to minimise the chances of clubs qualifying for the knockout stages with fewer wins in one pool than another in a different pool, as has been the case on occasion under the previous format.

Organisers confirmed defending Champions Cup winners Bordeaux Bègles, URC champions Leinster, English title winners Northampton Saints and last Saturday’s Top 14 victors Toulouse will be the four top seeds in this Wednesday’s 24-team pool draw while also outlining their attempts to increase jeopardy in the opening rounds, which will this coming season begin with a matchday on the weekend of October 16-18.

Munster and Connacht will also be in the Champions Cup pool draw, while Ulster will play in the 18-team Challenge Cup in 26-27, with EPCR confirming Georgia’s Black Lion and South Africa’s Cheetahs will participate in the tier-two competition as invitees. Round two of the pool stages will be on the weekend of December 11-13 before the two final rounds are played in January across the middle two weekends, 8-10 and 15-17.

Qualification for the knockout stages has been altered from the three previous seasons since EPCR switched from a two-pool format to the current four pools of six teams. This follows a review of the competition rules, involving consultation with EPCR stakeholders, including the three leagues - the URC, England’s PREM, and France’s Top 14.

The changes come after criticisms of the previous formats when clubs were sending weakened teams to their two away fixtures in the pool stages in the knowledge two home wins would be sufficient for qualification for the knockout rounds.

Instead of the previous format, in which the four highest-ranked clubs in each pool all automatically qualified for the knockout Round of 16, only the top three teams from each pool will automatically qualify.

The remaining four R16 places will go to the four clubs with the highest number of match points across all pools, regardless of which pool they are in. The aim is to avoid the situation which occurred in 2024-25, when Ulster qualified for the last 16 with only one victory in the pool stages while Racing 92 failed to progress with two wins in their pool, and last season when Sharks were eliminated as a fifth-place finisher in Pool 1 with two victories as Leicester Tigers and Bulls progressed as fourth-place finishers in their pools with just a single win apiece.

The four places available for Champions Cup teams to move into the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 will be awarded to the next four clubs with the highest number of match points, also regardless of which pool they are in.

In a further wrinkle for the new season, pool position determination will no longer be based initially on points difference if two clubs are tied on match points but by the number of wins.

The introduction of an offensive try bonus point, rewarding a team winning by three or more tries, is the second major rule change, eradicating the possibility of a losing team in a match picking up a four-try bonus point of their own by encouraging a winning side to keep attacking.

EPCR said the rationale for this is to try and make games more competitive and intense right up until the final whistle, given the status of the bonus point remains up for grabs until the last action. It will also reduce “easy” bonus points when teams losing by a significant amount benefit from a previously dominant opponent switching off in defence and allowing soft tries, thereby skewing the pool match points.

There will be no change to the losing bonus, however, which is still the seven-point differential between the sides at full-time.