Leinster seeded as Champions Cup and Challenge Cup draws set to take place
SEEDED: Leinster captain Caelan Doris and departing teammates Luke McGrath and James Lowe lifts the trophy after the United Rugby Championship grand final. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
Ireland’s four provinces will be able to start plotting their routes through to the European knockout rounds next season when EPCR stages its pool draws for both the 2026-27 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup from 12:30pm (Irish time) on Wednesday.
The competition organisers on Tuesday morning announced its top seeds for the four, six-team pools with back-to-back defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles, French Top 14 titleholders Toulouse, English PREM winners Northampton Saints and United Rugby Championship kingpins Leinster set to be drawn first and allocated a pool when the ceremony gets underway at the studios of broadcaster Premier Sports in Dublin.
Supporters will be able to watch a livestream of the draws on epcrugby.com with Connacht and Munster among the teams awaiting their Champions Cup fates in Tier 2. Each pool of six will contain two clubs from each of the three leagues, though there will be no matches between clubs from the same league, while the Irish provinces, nor any team from the same URC Shield, cannot be in the same pool.
That means Connacht and Munster’s opponents four pool matches will be against the four different clubs drawn alongside them, two apiece from England and France with Toulouse, UBB and Northampton Saints their possible top seeds.
Ulster are in the hat for the non-seeded, second-tier Challenge Cup pool draw alongside 17 rivals, seven of whom will be fellow URC members, six from the Top 14, two from the PREM and invited clubs Black Lion of Georgia and South Africa’s Cheetahs.
EPCR has also announced rule changes for the new season including the introduction of offensive try bonus points rewarding teams scoring three or more tries than their opponents as opposed to the previous model of awarding a BP for four tries scored.
Qualification from the pools to the knockout rounds will become more merit-based, with only three teams from each pool advancing and the remaining four places in the Round of 16 allocated to clubs with the most match points from their four games, regardless of their pool positions.
, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Stade Français Paris, Racing 92, Section Paloise, Stade Rochelais, ASM Clermont Auvergne,
, Exeter Chiefs, Bath, Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks, Gloucester
, Vodacom, Glasgow Warriors, Stormers, Munster, Cardiff, Lions, Connacht.
RC Toulon, Castres Olympique, Lyon Olympique Universitaire, Aviron Bayonnais, USAP, RC Vannes
Ulster, Sharks, Ospreys, Edinburgh, Benetton, Scarlets, Dragons, Zebre Parma
Harlequins, Newcastle Red Bulls
Black Lion, Cheetahs.
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