Champions Cup: Last season's finalists La Rochelle and Leinster to meet in 2023-24 pool stage

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La Rochelle and Leinster volition play a repetition of their epic Champions Cup last erstwhile they conscionable successful the 2023-24 excavation stage.

The French broadside person won back-to-back Champions Cups, beating Leinster successful each of the past 2 finals.

They defeated the Irish squad 27-26 successful May having been 17-0 down astatine fractional time.

Both clubs are successful Pool 4, alongside Premiership clubs Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks, arsenic good arsenic Stade Francais and Stormers from South Africa.

Premiership champions Saracens are successful Pool 1, arsenic are Bristol Bears, portion Bath and Harlequins are successful Pool 2. Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints are successful Pool 3.

The European Rugby Champions and Challenge Cup competitions volition instrumentality to a multi-pool format for the 2023-24 season.

The Champions Cup has 24 teams divided into 4 pools of six, with the 18-team Challenge Cup being divided into 3 pools of six. Each squad plays 4 games successful their pool, and volition not look the squad from their aforesaid federation oregon league who they person been drawn successful a radical with.

The archetypal circular of fixtures volition statesman connected Friday, 8 December, six weeks aft the last of the 2023 Rugby World Cup successful France, which runs 8 September to 28 October.

The 2024 finals volition instrumentality spot astatine Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 24-25 May.

2023-24 Champions Cup excavation stage

Pool 1: Saracens, Union Bordeaux-Begles, Bulls, Bristol Bears, Connacht, Lyon

Pool 2: Toulouse, Cardiff, Bath, Racing 92, Harlequins, Ulster

Pool 3: Munster, Aviron Bayonnais, Glasgow Warriors, Exeter Chiefs, Toulon, Northampton Saints

Pool 4: La Rochelle, Leinster, Stade Francais, Leicester Tigers, Stormers, Sale Sharks

Newcastle and Gloucester observe Challenge Cup opponents

The gully for the second-tier Challenge Cup excavation signifier took spot anterior to the Champions Cup, with Premiership clubs Gloucester and Newcastle Falcons learning their opponents.

Newcastle were drawn successful Pool 2 alongside Welsh nine Ospreys, Italian broadside Benetton Rugby and Lions from South Africa, arsenic good arsenic 2 French clubs successful USAP and Montpellier.

Gloucester are successful Pool 3 with Edinburgh Rugby, Scarlets, 2 Top 14 clubs successful Castres and Clermont Auvergne, and 1 of 2 arsenic yet chartless invitee clubs to beryllium determined astatine a aboriginal date.

Toulon are Challenge Cup holders aft overpowering archetypal clip finalists Glasgow Warriors 43-19 successful the 2023 final.