By Gavin Rich
It took a while to figure out a complicated draw process, but the South African teams competing in the European Champions Cup for the first time next season do now know what they will be up against in the pool stages that kick off in December.
Due to their competing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final, and thus being seeded one and two among the entrants from that competition and thus drawn to meet the two bottom teams from the English Gallagher Premiership and the French Top 14, the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls do arguably have the easier Pool opponents than the Cell C Sharks.
Their middle of the top eight finish in the URC sees the Durbanites playing against teams of comparable strength in terms of last year’s finishing positions in England and France.
They face English club Harlequins, which does mean an appetising away trip to The Stoop in London, and the French club Bordeaux Begles.
The way it works is that each team plays the other two sides in the two team pool home and away.
The Stormers get to play against London Irish and Clermont Auvergne, while the Bulls will play against Exeter Chiefs and Lyon.
In the secondary European competition, the Challenge Cup, the fourth placed team in the South African Shield in the URC, the Emirates Lions, will play against the French glamour club Stade Francais and English team Worcester Warriors.
The Toyota Cheetahs, who will participated in the Challenge Cup by invitation, will play Welsh URC outfit Scarlets and the French team Section Paloise in their home and away pool fixtures, although it has already been confirmed that their away fixture against Scarlets will be played not in Bloemfontein but somewhere in Europe.
When it comes to the other top URC teams, Munster have been handed a tough draw as they face off against Stade Toulousain and Northampton Saints.
Beaten Champions Cup finalists Leinster will do battle against Racing 92 and Gloucester, while Ulster will meet champions La Rochelle and Sale Sharks.
That last pool looks a particularly tough one, while Leinster are facing a Champions Cup semifinalist from last year in the form of Racing 92 as they feel the impact of their loss to the Bulls in the URC semifinal a few weeks back.
The full fixture list will be revealed at a later date but it is certain the Stormers will be away from home in their first game as the opening weekend of the Champions Cup coincides with the Cape Town Sevens.
2022/23 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP
POOL A (with opponents in brackets)
Castres Olympique (Exeter Chiefs, Edinburgh Rugby)
Saracens (Lyon, Edinburgh Rugby)
Vodacom Bulls (Exeter Chiefs, Lyon)
Cell C Sharks (Harlequins, Union Bordeaux Begles (Racing 92, Sharks)
Leinster Rugby (Racing 92, Gloucester Rugby)
Edinburgh Rugby (Castres Olympique, Saracens)
POOL B (with opponents in brackets)
Montpellier Hérault Rugby (London Irish, Ospreys)
Leicester Tigers (ASM Clermont Auvergne, Ospreys)
DHL Stormers (ASM Clermont Auvergne, London Irish)
Stade Toulousain (Sale Sharks, Munster Rugby)
Northampton Saints (Stade Rochelais, Munster Rugby)
Ulster Rugby (Stade Rochelais, Sale Sharks)?
2022/23 EPCR CHALLENGE CUP
POOL A (with opponents in brackets)
Glasgow Warriors (USAP, Bath Rugby)
RC Toulon (Zebre Parma, Bath Rugby)
Bristol Bears (Zebre Parma, USAP)
Connacht Rugby (CA Brive, Newcastle Falcons)
Cardiff Rugby (CA Brive, Newcastle Falcons)
CA Brive (Connacht Rugby, Cardiff Rugby)
Newcastle Falcons (Connacht Rugby, Cardiff Rugby)
Zebre Parma (Bristol Bears, RC Toulon)
USAP (Glasgow Warriors, Bristol Bears)
Bath Rugby (Glasgow Warriors, RC Toulon)
POOL B (with opponents in brackets)
Toyota Cheetahs (Section Paloise, Scarlets)
Wasps (Aviron Bayonnais, Dragons)
Emirates Lions (Stade Français Paris, Worcester Warriors)
Benetton Rugby (Stade Français Paris, Worcester Warriors)
Stade Français Paris (Emirates Lions, Benetton Rugby)
Worcester Warriors (Emirates Lions, Benetton Rugby
First round of both competitions: 9/10/11 December 2022.
Final round of Pool phase: 20/21/22 January 2023
Round of 16: 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023
Quarterfinals: 7/8/9 April 2023
Semifinals: 28/29/30 April 2023
EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 19 May 2023; Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 20 May 2023; Aviva Stadium, Dublin.