European Cups: All you need to know
12/07/2024 02:03 AM
The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup kicks off this weekend, with five South African teams in action across both tournaments. Here's what you need to know.
WEEKEND DATES
Round 1 – 6/7/8 December 2024
Round 2 – 13/14/15 December 2024
Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025
Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025
Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
Challenge Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Friday 23 May
Champions Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Saturday 24 May
CHAMPIONS CUP
Format
– A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023/24 season
– 24 elite clubs – eight each from the Premiership, Vodacom URC and French Top 14 – in four pools of six
– sporting jeopardy with each club playing against four different opponents home or away in the pool stage
– Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the Round of 16
– The Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends with four pool stage rounds and four knockout stage rounds culminating in the 2025 final which will be staged at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday, 24 May
Pool stage
– Clubs will play four matches during the pool stage, each against a different opponent, two matches at home and two matches away.
– Four match points will be awarded for a win, two match points will be awarded for a draw. A bonus point will be awarded to a club scoring four or more tries and to a club losing by seven points or fewer.
– If two or more clubs in the same pool are equal on match points, their ranking will be determined as follows:
(i) the best aggregate points difference from the pool stage; or
(ii) if equal, the number of tries scored in the pool stage; or
(iii) if equal, the club with the fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents in the pool stage; or
(iv) if still equal, by drawing lots.
Round of 16
– The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool will qualify for the Round of 16. 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. The Round of 16 will thereafter be played over one match as follows:
R16 1: Number 1-ranked club v Number 16-ranked club
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club v Number 15-ranked club
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club v Number 14-ranked club
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club v Number 13-ranked club
R16 5: Number 5-ranked club v Number 12-ranked club
R16 6: Number 6-ranked club v Number 11-ranked club
R16 7: Number 7-ranked club v Number 10-ranked club
R16 8: Number 8-ranked club v Number 9-ranked club
NB: The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home advantage in the Round of 16. The clubs ranked fifth in each of the pools will qualify for the Round of 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup. The quarter-finals will be played over one match and the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage as follows:
QF1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 8
QF2: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 7
QF3: Winner R16 3 v Winner R16 6
QF4: Winner R16 4 v Winner R16 5
Semi-finals
The semi-finals will be played in Europe and the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage.
SF1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
Final
In the event of drawn matches at the end of normal time during the knockout stage, extra-time will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows:
(a) the club that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra time) or
(b) if equal, by a place kick competition.
NB: the above is also applicable to the Challenge Cup.
CHALLENGE CUP
Format
– A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023/24 season
18 clubs in three pools of six
– sporting jeopardy with each club playing against four different opponents home or away in the pool stage
– Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the knockout stage
– Eight weekends with four pool stage rounds and four knockout stage rounds culminating in the 2025 final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday, 23 May
Pool stage
– Clubs were drawn or allocated into three pools – Pool 1, Pool 2 and Pool 3.
– A limited number of same-league fixtures will be unavoidable and clubs will play four different opponents either at home or away during the pool stage.
– Four match points will be awarded for a win, and two match points will be awarded for a draw during the pool stage. A bonus point will be awarded to a club scoring four or more tries and to a club losing by seven points or fewer.
– If two or more clubs are equal on match points, their ranking will be determined as follows:
(i) the best aggregate points difference from the pool stage; or
(ii) if equal, the number of tries scored in the pool stage; or
(iii) if equal, the club with the fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents in the pool stage; or
(iv) if still equal, by drawing lots.
Round of 16
– The four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 1, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 2, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 3 and the fifth-ranked clubs from each of the four Investec Champions Cup pools will qualify for the Round of 16.
– 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 3, the second-placed clubs will be ranked 4 to 6, the two highest-ranked third-placed clubs will be ranked 7 and 8, the qualifying Investec Champions Cup clubs will be ranked 9 to 12, the remaining third-placed club will be ranked 13, and the fourth-placed clubs will be ranked 14 to 16.
– The Round of 16 will thereafter be played over one match as follows:
R16 1: Number 1-ranked club v Number 16-ranked club
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club v Number 15-ranked club
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club v Number 14-ranked club
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club v Number 13-ranked club
R16 5: Number 5-ranked club v Number 12-ranked club
R16 6: Number 6-ranked club v Number 11-ranked club
R16 7: Number 7-ranked club v Number 10-ranked club
R16 8: Number 8-ranked club v Number 9-ranked club
NB: The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home advantage in the Round of 16.
Quarter-finals
– Clubs with the higher rankings from the pool stage will have home venue advantage in the quarter-final matches as follows:
QF1: winner R16 1 v winner R16 8
QF2: winner R16 2 v winner R16 7
QF3: winner R16 3 v winner R16 6
QF4: winner R16 4 v winner R16 5
Semi-finals
– Clubs with the higher rankings from the pool stage will have home venue advantage in the semi-final matches as follows:
SF1: winner QF 1 v winner QF 4
SF2: winner QF 2 v winner QF 3
Photo: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images
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