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Premiership table-toppers Bath instrumentality connected La Rochelle, who won the tourney successful 2022 and 2023, successful Friday evening's tantalising opener for the 30th variation of the Investec Champions Cup.
Toulouse, who lifted the archetypal rubric successful 1996, besides won the astir caller edition, beating Leinster successful extra-time astatine Tottenham Stadium successful May.
Led by prima scrum-half Antoine Dupont, Toulouse volition pb the French complaint erstwhile again arsenic Top 14 champions and existent early-season leaders.
But they are acold from the lone cross-Channel contenders.
An breathtaking Bordeaux-Begles side, including France wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud, volition fancy their chances of making the semi-finals for the archetypal time, portion Clermont Auvergne and Toulon get with heavyweight European pedigree down them.
The French crippled has been supplemented with a harvest of England stars, who are ineligible for nationalist squad enactment nether Rugby Football Union rules.
European enactment offers France-based players their champion accidental of impressing British and Irish Lions caput manager Andy Farrell earlier the circuit of Australia successful the summer.
Former skipper Owen Farrell and Henry Arundell are playing astatine Racing 92 nether England's World Cup 2015 manager Stuart Lancaster, Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam play astatine Toulon, and flanker Jack Willis is astatine Toulouse - a broadside erstwhile England helping Chris Ashton says are hard to look past.
"Toulouse are truthful accordant and person an unbelievable squad," Ashton told BBC Rugby Union Weekly.
"They ever look to beryllium archetypal oregon 2nd successful their league and ever look to beryllium successful the semi-final oregon last of the European Cup."
Speaking connected Rugby Union Weekly, BBC rugby analogous Chris Jones added: "We could speech everlastingly astir imaginable favourites and some extremity up backing Toulouse."
Leinster person added a superstar of their own. All Black centre Jordie Barrett, who concisely lived successful County Meath arsenic a child, has returned to the province, adding immoderate stardust to a squad that already includes Ireland mainstays Caelan Doris, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan.
Could helium beryllium the signing that enables them to instrumentality the four-time champions last measurement erstwhile more, aft finishing arsenic runners-up successful 4 of the past six finals?
Exeter Chiefs were the past English broadside to triumph the contention successful 2020 but Harlequins and eventual Premiership champions Northampton some reached the semi-finals past year.
Bath rise the curtain against European heavyweights La Rochelle but the Premiership club, and their neighbours Bristol, could pb the mode this twelvemonth aft their awesome starts successful their home league.
South Africa's sides person played successful the tourney for the past 2 seasons, adding prime connected the transportation and immoderate long-haul logistical challenges disconnected it.
Siya Kolisi's short-lived stint astatine Racing 92 came to an extremity successful September, with the 33-year-old Springbok skipper linking up with planetary team-mates Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche and Makazole Mapimpi astatine the Sharks.
Ashton said: "The squad Sharks person could steamroller astir teams. If they determine to instrumentality it on, they could get to the last with ease."
Jones added: "It's hard to backmost a South African squad to triumph it due to the fact that of the question issue."
Glasgow, Scotland's sole representatives, made the travel to South Africa past play to bushed the Bulls and claimed a sensational United Rugby Championship crown.
After an awesome commencement to this year's URC and a clutch of Scotland internationals anxious to marque their lawsuit to Farrell, fewer volition fancy taking them connected successful the knockout stages.
"Glasgow person to beryllium taken earnestly fixed what they did successful the URC, winning successful Munster and past the pursuing week getting connected a formation and winning successful Pretoria against the Bulls," said Jones.
For the archetypal clip successful the tournament's past though, determination volition beryllium nary Welsh representation, successful different stroke to the nation's pride.
Pool 1 - Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers, Sharks, Toulouse, Ulster, Bordeaux Begles
Pool 2 - ASM Clermont Auvergne, Bath, Benetton, Bristol, La Rochelle, Leinster
Pool 3 - Bulls, Castres, Munster, Northampton Saints, Saracens, Stade Francais
Pool 4 - Glasgow Warriors, Harlequins, Racing 92, Sale, Stormers, Toulon
The Investec Champions Cup remains a four-pool competition, which includes 24 teams.
The English Premiership, the French Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship person each provided 8 teams each.
Clubs from the aforesaid league cannot play each different successful the excavation stages.
Each nine volition play 2 matches astatine location and 2 matches distant successful the excavation stages, with the apical 4 sides going done to the circular of 16.
The teams finishing 5th successful each excavation volition driblet down into the Challenge Cup circular of 16.
The last volition beryllium played astatine Cardiff's Principality Stadium connected 24 May 2025.
"When the tourney is bully it is earnestly good," said Jones.
"The occupation the tourney has is however it gets going, however casual is it to follow, the quality of the excavation signifier and the logistical situation of South African sides and the travelling that involves.
"It tin get messy but the tourney ever seems to thrust retired those periods and present an epic crescendo."
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