2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup

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Not to be confused with 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup.
2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup
Tournament details
Countries England
 France
 Ireland
 Scotland
 South Africa
 Wales
Tournament format(s)Modified round-robin and knockout
Date8 December 2023 – 25 May 2024
Tournament statistics
Matches played48
Attendance708,747 (14,766 per match)
Highest attendance42,003 – Leinster v Stade Français
13 January 2023
Lowest attendance6,024 – Connacht v Bordeaux
8 December 2023
Tries scored353 (7.35 per match)
Final
VenueEngland Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
← 2022–23 (Previous)
(Next) 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup is the tenth season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) for teams from the top five nations in European rugby and South Africa. It is the 29th season of pan-European professional club rugby competition.

This is the second time the tournament features the top teams from South Africa, following the second United Rugby Championship season.

The final will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom.[1] La Rochelle are the defending champions, having won their second European Cup title in the previous edition.[1]

Teams[edit]

Twenty-four clubs from the three major European domestic and regional leagues qualified to compete in the 2023–24 edition of the Champions Cup.

The distribution of teams is:

  • England: eight clubs
  • France: eight clubs
    • The top eight clubs from the Top 14
  • Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, Wales: eight clubs
    • The top side in each of the four regional shields from the United Rugby Championship (one Irish, one Welsh, one South African and one either Scottish or Italian), along with the remaining top four ranked clubs regardless of nation, within the league, that didn't win their respective shield. If the club that wins the championship has not qualified by the methods above then that club, the four shield winners and the remaining top three ranked clubs regardless of nation, within the league, that didn't win their respective shield will qualify.
Premiership Top 14 United Rugby Championship
England England France France Ireland Ireland South Africa South Africa Scotland Scotland Wales Wales

Team details[edit]

Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.

Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown through CH for Champions, RU for Runner-up, SF for losing Semi-finalist, and QF for losing Quarter-finalist.

Team Coach(es) /
Director of Rugby 		Captain Stadium Capacity Method of qualification
France Bayonne France Grégory Patat France Denis Marchois Stade Jean-Dauger 14,370 Top 14 top 8 (8th)
England Bath South Africa Johann van Graan England Ben Spencer The Recreation Ground 14,509 Premiership top 8 (8th)
France Bordeaux Bègles France Yannick Bru France Jefferson Poirot Stade Chaban-Delmas 34,694 Top 14 top 8 (6th) (SF)
England Bristol Bears Samoa Pat Lam Samoa Steve Luatua Ashton Gate 27,000 Premiership top 8 (9th)[a]
South Africa Bulls South Africa Jake White South Africa Marcell Coetzee Loftus Versfeld Stadium 51,762 URC table rankings (6th) (QF)
Wales Cardiff England Matt Sherratt Wales Josh Turnbull Cardiff Arms Park 12,125 URC Welsh Shield winner (10th)
Ireland Connacht England Peter Wilkins Ireland Jack Carty Galway Sportsgrounds 8,129 URC table rankings (7th) (SF)
England Exeter Chiefs England Rob Baxter England Jack Yeandle Sandy Park 13,593 Premiership top 8 (7th)
Scotland Glasgow Warriors South Africa Franco Smith Scotland Kyle Steyn Scotstoun Stadium 7,351 URC Scottish/Italian Shield winner (4th) (QF)
England Harlequins Australia Billy Millard South Africa Stephan Lewies Twickenham Stoop 14,800 Premiership top 8 (6th)
France La Rochelle Ireland Ronan O'Gara France Grégory Alldritt
France Uini Atonio 		Stade Marcel-Deflandre 16,700 Top 14 top 8 (2nd) (RU)
England Leicester Tigers Australia Dan McKellar Argentina Julián Montoya Mattioli Woods Welford Road 25,849 Premiership top 8 (3rd) (SF)
Ireland Leinster Ireland Leo Cullen Ireland James Ryan
Ireland Garry Ringrose 		RDS Arena
Aviva Stadium 		18,500
51,700 		URC Irish Shield winner (1st) (SF)
France Lyon France Fabien Gengenbacher France Baptiste Couilloud
Samoa Jordan Taufua 		Matmut Stadium de Gerland 35,029 Top 14 top 8 (3rd) (QF)
Ireland Munster England Graham Rowntree Ireland Peter O'Mahony Thomond Park 25,600 URC table rankings (5th) (CH)
England Northampton Saints England Phil Dowson England Lewis Ludlam cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens 15,200 Premiership top 8 (4th) (SF)
France Racing 92 England Stuart Lancaster France Henry Chavancy Paris La Défense Arena 32,000 Top 14 top 8 (5th) (SF)
England Sale Sharks England Alex Sanderson England Ben Curry AJ Bell Stadium 12,000 Premiership top 8 (2nd) (RU)
England Saracens Ireland Mark McCall England Owen Farrell StoneX Stadium 10,500 Premiership top 8 (1st) (CH)
France Stade Français France Laurent Labit France Paul Gabrillagues Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000 Top 14 top 8 (4th) (QF)
South Africa Stormers South Africa John Dobson South Africa Salmaan Moerat Cape Town Stadium 55,000 URC South African Shield winner (3rd) (RU)
France Toulon France Pierre Mignoni France Charles Ollivon Stade Mayol 17,500 Top 14 top 8 (7th)
France Toulouse France Ugo Mola France Antoine Dupont
France Julien Marchand 		Stade Ernest-Wallon 19,500 Top 14 top 8 (1st) (CH)
Ireland Ulster England Dan McFarland Ireland Iain Henderson Ravenhill Stadium 18,196 URC table rankings (2nd) (QF)
Notes
  1. ^ a b c London Irish originally qualified as one of the top 8 Premiership teams, after finishing 5th in the 2022–23 season. However, the club was officially suspended from all professional competitions on 6 June 2023, due to financial insolvency.[2] As a consequence, their spot in the Champions Cup was awarded to Bristol Bears, the highest ranked team outside the top 8.[3]

Pool stage[edit]

[[File:
class=notpageimage|
Locations
|1300px|alt=Locations of European teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B; Green: Pool C; Purple: Pool D.]]
[[:File:
class=notpageimage|
Locations
| ]]
Locations of European teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B; Green: Pool C; Purple: Pool D.
class=notpageimage|
Locations of London teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B.
class=notpageimage|
Locations of South African teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Purple: Pool D.
Main article: 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage

Teams are awarded four points for a win, two for a draw, one bonus point for scoring four tries in a game, and one bonus point for losing by less than eight points.

The draw for the pool stage took place on 21 June 2023.[4] Unlike the previous season, the format consisted of four pools with six teams in each. The rules of the draw stipulated that the 2022–23 champions of the three European domestic leagues (Saracens, Toulouse and Munster) and the 2022–23 Champions Cup winners (La Rochelle) would each be drawn into separate pools. The remaining 20 teams were then drawn at random, with the only condition being that no more than two teams from the same domestic league could be placed into each pool.

Pool A[edit]

2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool A
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Bordeaux (4) 4 3 0 1 172 83 +89 26 11 4 1 17
South Africa Bulls (6) 4 3 0 1 132 102 +30 16 16 2 1 15
France Lyon (11) 4 2 0 2 121 123 –2 18 16 3 1 12
England Saracens (13) 4 2 0 2 125 142 –17 17 20 2 0 10
Ireland Connacht (11CC) 4 1 0 3 88 140 –52 13 19 2 0 6
England Bristol Bears 4 1 0 3 80 128 –48 11 19 1 0 5
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Pool B[edit]

2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool B
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Toulouse (1) 4 4 0 0 178 69 +109 26 10 4 0 20
England Harlequins (5) 4 3 0 1 151 109 +42 22 16 3 0 15
England Bath (9) 4 3 0 1 124 102 +22 18 14 3 0 15
France Racing 92 (16) 4 1 0 3 116 117 –1 17 16 2 2 8
Ireland Ulster (12CC) 4 1 0 3 88 147 –59 12 22 1 0 5
Wales Cardiff 4 0 0 4 80 193 –113 11 28 2 1 3
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Pool C[edit]

2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool C
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England Northampton Saints (3) 4 4 0 0 137 75 +62 18 10 2 0 18
England Exeter Chiefs (8) 4 3 0 1 87 99 –12 13 14 1 0 13
Scotland Glasgow Warriors (12) 4 2 0 2 77 63 +14 12 8 1 1 10
Ireland Munster (14) 4 1 1 2 93 93 0 13 10 2 1 9
France Bayonne (9CC) 4 1 1 2 82 107 –25 11 16 1 1 8
France Toulon 4 0 0 4 60 99 –39 7 16 0 2 2
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Pool D[edit]

2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool D
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Ireland Leinster (2) 4 4 0 0 123 53 +70 17 5 3 0 19
South Africa Stormers (7) 4 3 0 1 102 99 +3 12 12 2 0 14
France La Rochelle (10) 4 2 0 2 111 73 +38 13 9 2 2 12
England Leicester Tigers (15) 4 2 0 2 84 122 –38 10 16 1 0 9
England Sale Sharks (10CC) 4 1 0 3 103 110 –7 13 14 1 1 6
France Stade Français 4 0 0 4 56 122 –66 8 17 0 2 2
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Knockout stage[edit]

The knockout stage will begin with the round of 16, starting on 5 April 2024, and concludes with the final on 25 May 2024.

Like in 2022/23 the round of 16 will consist of a single leg match, consisting of the top four ranked teams from each Pool respectively. All clubs will thereafter be ranked in descending order based firstly on their ranking in their pool and subsequently on the number of match points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16. The pool winners will be ranked 1 to 4, the second-placed clubs will be ranked 5 to 8, the third-placed clubs will be ranked 9 to 12, and the fourth-placed clubs will be ranked 13 to 16.

Whilst the round of 16 follows a pre-determined format, the quarter-finals will see home advantage given to the higher ranked team based on a pre-determined match-up. The semi-finals are to be played at a neutral venue, with the higher ranked team having home country advantage.

Seeding[edit]

Rank Team Pts Diff TF
Pool leaders
1 France Toulouse 20 +109 26
2 Ireland Leinster 19 +70 17
3 England Northampton Saints 18 +62 18
4 France Bordeaux Bègles 17 +89 26
Pool runners-up
5 England Harlequins 15 +42 22
6 South Africa Bulls 15 +30 16
7 South Africa Stormers 14 +3 12
8 England Exeter Chiefs 13 –12 13
Pool third place
9 England Bath 15 +22 18
10 France La Rochelle 12 +38 13
11 France Lyon 12 –2 18
12 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 10 +14 12
Pool fourth place
13 England Saracens 10 –17 17
14 Ireland Munster 9 0 13
15 England Leicester Tigers 9 –38 10
16 France Racing 92 8 –1 17

Bracket[edit]

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 France Toulouse
16 France Racing 92
France
England
8 England Exeter Chiefs
9 England Bath
 
 
5 England Harlequins
12 Scotland Glasgow Warriors
 
 
4 France Bordeaux Bègles
13 England Saracens
 
 
3 England Northampton Saints
14 Ireland Munster
 
 
6 South Africa Bulls
11 France Lyon
 
 
7 South Africa Stormers
10 France La Rochelle
 
 
2 Ireland Leinster
15 England Leicester Tigers

Round of 16[edit]

5 April 2024
20:00
Harlequins England (5)R16 5(12) Scotland Glasgow Warriors
Twickenham Stoop, London
6 April 2024
12:30
Bulls South Africa (6)R16 6(11) France Lyon
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
6 April 2024
15:00
Stormers South Africa (7)R16 7(10) France La Rochelle
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
6 April 2024
15:00
Exeter Chiefs England (8)R16 8(9) England Bath
Sandy Park, Exeter
6 April 2024
17:30
Bordeaux Bègles France (4)R16 4(13) England Saracens
Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
6 April 2024
20:00
Leinster Ireland (2)R16 2(15) England Leicester Tigers
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
7 April 2024
12:30
Northampton Saints England (3)R16 3(14) Ireland Munster
cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton
7 April 2024
15:00
Toulouse France (1)R16 1(16) France Racing 92
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse

Quarter-finals[edit]

12/13/14 April 2024
Winner R16 1QF 1Winner R16 8
High-ranked team home
12/13/14 April 2024
Winner R16 2QF 2Winner R16 7
High-ranked team home
12/13/14 April 2024
Winner R16 3QF 3Winner R16 6
High-ranked team home
12/13/14 April 2024
Winner R16 4QF 4Winner R16 5
High-ranked team home

Semi-finals[edit]

3/4/5 May 2024
Winner QF 1SF 1Winner QF 4
Neutral venue
3/4/5 May 2024
Winner QF 2SF 2Winner QF 3
Neutral venue

Final[edit]

25 May 2024
Winner SF 1vWinner SF 2
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "EPCR pool draws for 2023/24 season". EPCR. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  2. ^ "London Irish file for administration after being suspended from Gallagher Premiership and all leagues by RFU". Sky Sports. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Bristol Bears to replace London Irish in Champions Cup, EPCR confirm". BBC Sport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Heavyweight clashes to savour for 2023/24 season as EPCR pool draws completed". EPCR. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
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