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The Champions Cup is back with Toulouse bidding to defend their tittle as Europe’s top club rugby competition returns.
24 teams are vying for victory with the somewhat confusing format remaining intact, with three South African United Rugby Championship (URC) sides hoping to become the first from the nation to lift the prestigious prize.
There are eight representatives each from the French Top 14 and, somewhat controversially, the ten-team English Premiership, while Irish sides Leinster, Munster and Ulster will all be eyeing deep runs.
URC holders Glasgow Warriors provide the Scottish representation while Italy’s Benetton are back on club rugby’s biggest stage, with no Welsh clubs qualified.
An intriguing slate of fixtures awaits on the opening weekend – here are five things to watch:
Can the English clubs compete?
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Bath look best placed of the English sides to challenge (Getty Images)
It is clearly ridiculous that 80% of last season’s Premiership earned qualification for this competition, and hopes of a winner from the English top flight seem slim. Though Harlequins and Northampton overperformed in reaching the final four last year, the division has failed to provide a finalist since 2020 – and with a depressed salary cap and migration of some top performers across the Channel, the chances of breaking that run seem distant.
But the opening weekend may offer clues as to which of the eight representatives are best placed to challenge. Chief among them may be Bath, who kick off the competition against heavyweights La Rochelle at The Rec on Friday night. Johann van Graan’s side have the back row depth and scrummaging might required to compete. Bristol are also fascinating – their uber-attacking style makes the Bears an unpredictable commodity who could well test Leinster on Sunday.
Jordie Barrett arrives at Leinster
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Jordie Barrett has joined Leinster on a short-term deal (Getty Images)
For any other club, the capture of Jordie Barrett on a short-term deal would be a real coup, the sort of transformative signing that can lift a fringe contender into a tournament favourite. For Leinster, though, Barrett’s signature feels like the rich getting richer and creates something of a logjam – while incredibly versatile, the All Black’s competition in his favoured roles of inside centre and full-back are two key cogs in Robbie Henshaw and Hugo Keenan. Where exactly he fits is somewhat unclear, though his utility is valuable this week as a bench option with full-back Keenan and wing James Lowe out through injury after their autumn exertions.
Leinster boss Leo Cullen has recently been rewarded with a new contract but there is pressure on the director of rugby to make a success of this campaign with silverware after three successive Champions Cup final defeats. With their depth only accentuated by the arrival of Barrett and Bok goliath RG Snyman, you do feel like the Dublin machine will take some stopping.
Is this the year for the first South African winner?
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South Africa’s Sharks triumphed in last year’s Challenge Cup (Getty Images)
We are, by now, beginning to get used to having South African representation in European competition but the involvement of the nation’s URC clubs have caused as many headaches as highlights so far. The challenges of cross-hemisphere travel have certainly not been adequately solved but the Sharks’ success in last year’s Challenge Cup proved that South African teams are able to go the distance even while dealing with complex logistics and, for Springboks players, an almost perpetual season.
Such is the strength in depth in the nation that all three entrants look like possible contenders, provided the Stormers can find form after a shaky start to their URC campaign. One rather fears for winless Exeter, who endured a 25-hour journey to Durban to be thrown in the Shark tank on the opening weekend.
Can Stuart Lancaster and Owen Farrell transform Paris nearly-men?
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Owen Farrell (left) has reunited with former England coach Stuart Lancaster (Getty Images)
Three times losing finalists, it feels somewhat peculiar that Racing 92 have so far failed to garland their glitz and glamour with a European trophy. Perennial big spenders, pressure has built on former England coach Stuart Lancaster after a clunky start to the season that has left the Parisians off the pace in the Top 14. A curiously prominent role for son Dan Lancaster (who spent last season as second choice fly half with Ealing in the Championship) has also been somewhat jarring.
If Owen Farrell was meant to bring a bit of drive and direction to the squad, his absence for these opening Champions Cup rounds is a blow. With the La Defense Arena out of action, the capital club host Harlequins on the other side of Paris at the rather less swanky Stade Dominique Duvauchelle. “It’s very different to the ground we won at last year,” Quins boss Danny Wilson quipped after their defeat to Bristol last week. “It’s a different challenge but one we’ll be ready for.”
A new broadcaster
A hearty welcome to Premier Sports, who take over from TNT as the Champions Cup’s partner in the United Kingdom having held the rights to the URC, Top 14 and Challenge Cup for several seasons. The new, exclusive deal also sees the end of games shown on free-to-air channels, an unwelcome development for a sport that needs eyeballs and carries real stumble upon value. There is also a fear in some quarters that a tournament that has already lost some its lustre is losing yet more prestige by the move.
Still, an annual Premier Sports subscription is available for just £70, representing excellent value given the breadth of their rugby offering is likely to increase in the next few months. It is a fascinating time in the rugby rights world with both the Six Nations and the new “Nations Cup” set to come to market. While Premier are unlikely to be significant players for either, plenty of figures inside the sport are intrigued to see how their coverage fares after TNT enjoyed an encouraging November showing the Autumn Nations Series.
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