It’s funny how much of a difference one less round makes. Once upon a time, back in the glory days of the Champions Cup, the tournament was a more intriguing and layered middle-distance, nine-game run to the title. In recent times, it is much more of a glorified sprint, a full-on eight-game race from start to finish, rewarding those who set and maintain a scorching pace from the outset.
In qualifying for the knockout stages there is more room for error. In endeavouring to go deep into the tournament, and even win it, there is less.
A legacy of the pandemic, which to the organisers’ credit the competition somehow managed to survive, this is effectively the fourth season of this format. And the penny has now dropped for the 24 teams on the starting blocks embarking upon this weekend’s opening round of the 2025-26 Champions Cup.
The four pool rounds either side of Christmas – two over the next two weekends and two in January – are not just a scramble for qualification. The higher the seeding, the better the chances of going all the way.
RM Block
Three seasons ago, Leinster and La Rochelle finished the pool stages as the top two seeds, with 20 and 18 points out of a possible 20, ensuring themselves of home advantage through the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-final. They duly reached the final.
Two seasons ago it was the same, Toulouse and Leinster ending the group stages with 20 and 19 points before negotiating three knockout ties to reach the final. Last season would have followed a similar path but for second-seeded Leinster losing at home to third-seeded Northampton in the semi-finals, before the Saints were beaten by top seeds Bordeaux Bègles in the final.
Toulouse, despite accumulating 19 points, suffered for not picking up a bonus point away to the Sharks and were condemned to a fifth seeding in the knockout stages before losing an away semi-final in Bordeaux.
In 42 knockout ties over the last three seasons, there have only been five away wins. In 2022-23 there were none at all. In 2023-24 La Rochelle won away to the Stormers by 22-21 in the Round of 16 and Harlequins won their quarter-final in Bordeaux by 42-41.
Last season, Munster won an epic Round of 16 tie away to Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle by 25-24, Toulouse won a quarter-final in Toulon by 21-18 (courtesy of a Thomas Ramos penalty with the last kick) and, of course, Northampton won THAT semi-final against Leinster in the Aviva by 37-34.
Each of the 24 teams will again play four pool matches, two at home and two away, against the four sides from rival leagues in their pools. The top four in each group will advance to the Round of 16, when the top eight will have home ties. The pool winners will be the top four seeds, while the four clubs ranked fifth in each pool will drop down to the Challenge Cup.
So then, on your marks, get set.
Pool 1: Toulouse, Clermont, Sharks, Saracens, Glasgow, Sale
Toulouse remain the French champions and standard bearers, setting the pace in the Top 14 again despite all manner of international demands and rotation by Ugo Mola. The conveyor belt of young players continues and is epitomised by Kalvin Gourgues, witness his stunning Test debut for Les Bleus off the bench against Australia.
They are still smarting from last season and losing away to Bordeaux Bègles in the semis, and last week welcomed back Antoine Dupont. Enough said. They are 5-2 joint favourites to win a seventh star and should be outright favourites.
Clermont remain the best club never to lift the trophy, having lost three finals, and have rebuilt well. They remain formidable at the Stade Michelin and look likely quarter-finalists.
In a competitive group, the star-studded Sharks will be difficult at home but are unlikely to travel strongly, and even Saracens, three-time winners, prioritised “the Prem” in last season’s knockout stages.
The fixtures haven’t fallen nicely for Glasgow, although they won’t have to travel to South Africa, and Sale, who’ve lost four of six domestically, will be competitive. The Friday night opener between these two in Salford looks pivotal.
Possible finishing order: Toulouse, Glasgow, Sharks, Clermont.
Pool 2: Bath, Toulon, Munster, Castres, Edinburgh, Gloucester
As if like a magnet, throughout the history of the Champions Cup Munster have had an uncanny habit of running into the Premiership top dogs, be they the reigning champions, leaders or champions elect, and so it is that the draw has pitted them against a club that may well tick all three boxes in Bath.
Munster have nothing like the same personnel and depth, and losing last week at home to the Stormers was a reality check, but conceivably a well-timed one. And if we know anything about them it is that they are capable of delivering performances that add up to more than the sum of their individual parts.
The other problem for Munster is that they also face Toulon away, and although they won at the Stade Felix Mayol two seasons ago, the three-time champions have won all six Top 14 home games this season to sit third.
Pierre Mignoni’s steadily improving side have a nice blend of French youth, Pacific Island power and athleticism, and 41-year-old Ma’a Nonu, more of an impact player nowadays but the oldest try scorer in the history of the French championship and still very influential. Alas former Munster centre Antoine Frisch is again sidelined until March due to foot surgery.
Munster should be capable of beating Gloucester, who had their first win of the season last week at home to Harlequins, in their Páirc Uí Chaoimh fixture on Saturday week. Ditto old foes Castres, who are trundling along the same as ever in mid-table, in January at Thomond Park.
Edinburgh will be serious contenders if they beat Toulon at Hive Stadium on Sunday evening.
Possible finishing order: Toulon, Bath, Munster, Edinburgh.
Pool 3: Leinster, Leicester, Harlequins, La Rochelle, Bayonne, Stormers
There is a palpable post-Northampton hangover in Leinster and being bulk suppliers to both the Lions and Ireland is unhelpful, not least in losing the in-form Ryan Baird for the pool stages. Andrew Porter (arm), James Lowe (calf) and Robbie Henshaw (hamstring) miss Saturday’s opener against Harlequins. Against that, Joe McCarthy’s return is a welcome boost as is the injection of Rieko Ioane, who could have a significant impact.
In effect, this will be Leinster’s second fully-fledged outing of the season, the first having been a loss against Munster at Croke Park, and their URC form has been underwhelming. Their status as 5-2 joint favourites is based more on pedigree than form.
Harlequins sit eighth in the Premiership after just two wins in six, at home to Saracens and bottom-placed Newcastle, but they can blow hot and cold. Another rendezvous with last season’s Premiership beaten finalists Leicester in Welford Road looks very tricky, all the more so as it’s next Friday.
Leinster also renew acquaintances with O’Gara and La Rochelle, their biggest modern-day rivals after those defeats in the 2021 semi-final and 2022 and 2023 finals, albeit they’ve gained some measure of revenge with three wins since then.
They sit 10th in an injury-ravaged Top 14 campaign after last week’s 53-30 loss away to Pau in which Antoine Hastoy received a first-minute red card, as did O’Gara in the second half.
Bayonne away in the fourth round could be very difficult for Leinster if the French side are still in contention. They almost never lose in their atmospheric Stade Jean Dauger fortress, where away fans join in the pre-match Basque anthem, and with 28-year-old Joris Segonds ably succeeding the retired Camille Lopez and Manu Tuilagi rejuvenated, they play a nice brand of rugby too. But the suspicion lurks that the Top 14 will assume priority.
Possible finishing order: Leinster, La Rochelle, Stormers, Harlequins.
Pool 4: Bordeaux Bègles, Scarlets, Bristol, Pau, Northampton, Bulls
An unpredictable pool. The demands on Bordeaux Bègles in last season’s 36-game pursuit of the double, winning their first major trophy by dint of beating Northampton in the Champions Cup final but losing another French final to Toulouse, has taken a toll.
Losing Pumas lock Guido Petit and big-game number eight Pete Samu has left voids, and the latter’s replacement from Sale, Jean-Luc du Preez, has been sidelined thus far.
Yannick Bru’s opening selection away to the Bulls on Saturday will signal their intent. Besides they have a backline which could supply France from numbers 9 to 15, including the competition’s best wing pairing in Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud.
Bordeaux Bègles host Northampton in a round-three repeat of last May’s final and it’s a perhaps a signal of the Saints’ intent that they rotated their squad last week when surrendering their unbeaten Premiership record away to Bristol Bears, although the 46-12 defeat will hurt.
That demonstrated what Pat Lam’s Bears are capable of with early momentum, which Kieran Marmion provided with two tries while the Saints were down to 14 men. He’s been a shrewd signing by his former Connacht boss.
Pau were the surprise Top 14 pacesetters and still sit second, but one suspects achieving a place in the French championship playoffs for the first time will assume priority.
The Scarlets may have turned a corner with last weekend’s 23-0 win at home to Glasgow and they’ll be fired up for Saturday’s cross-border ‘derby’ at home to Bristol. They have European pedigree but it’s hard to see them sustaining a challenge.
Possible finishing order: Bordeaux Bègles, Northampton, Bristol, Bulls.
Fixtures
Pool 1
Friday, December 5th
Sale v Glasgow Warriors, CorpAcq Stadium, 8pm
Saturday, December 6th
Saracens v Clermont Auvergne, StoneX Stadium, 1pm
Sunday, December 7th
Toulouse v Sharks, Stade Ernest Wallon, 3.15pm
Saturday, December 13th
Sharks v Saracens, Kings Park, 3.15pm
Clermont v Sale, Stade Marcel-Michelin, 3.15pm
Glasgow v Toulouse, Scotstoun Stadium, 8pm
Saturday, January 10th
Clermont v Glasgow, Stade Marcel-Michelin, 3.15pm
Sale v Sharks, CorpAcq Stadium, 5.30pm
Sunday, January 11th
Saracens v Toulouse, StoneX Stadium, 5.30pm
Saturday, January 17th
Sharks v Clermont, Kings Park, 1pm
Toulouse v Sale, Stade Ernest Wallon, 5.30pm
Sunday, January 18th
Glasgow v Saracens, Scotstoun Stadium, 5.30pm
Pool 2
Saturday, December 6th
Bath v Munster, The Rec, 8pm
Sunday, December 7th
Gloucester v Castres, Kingsholm, 3.15pm
Edinburgh v Toulon, Hive Stadium, 5.30pm
Saturday, December 13th
Munster v Gloucester, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 5.30pm
Sunday, December 14th
Castres v Edinburgh, Stade Pierre-Fabre, 1pm
Toulon v Bath, Stade Felix Mayol, 3.15pm
Friday, January 9th
Castres v Bath, Stade Pierre-Fabre, 8pm
Edinburgh v Gloucester, Hive Stadium, 8pm
Sunday, January 11th
Toulon v Munster, Stade Felix Mayol, 1pm
Friday, January 16th
Bath v Edinburgh, The Rec, 8pm
Saturday, January 17th
Munster v Castres, Thomond Park, 5.30pm
Gloucester v Toulon, Kingsholm, 8pm
Pool 3
Friday, December 5th
Bayonne v Stormers, Stade Jean Dauger, 8pm
Saturday, December 6th
La Rochelle v Leicester, Stade Marcel Deflandre, 5.30pm
Leinster v Harlequins, Aviva Stadium, 5.30pm
Friday, December 12th
Leicester v Leinster, Welford Road, 8pm
Saturday, December 13th
Stormers v La Rochelle, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 1pm
Sunday, December 14th
Harlequins v Bayonne, The Stoop, 1pm
Saturday, January 10th
Leinster v La Rochelle, Aviva Stadium, 5.30pm
Leicester v Bayonne, Welford Road, 8pm
Sunday, January 11th
Harlequins v Stormers, The Stoop, 1pm
Saturday, January 17th
Bayonne v Leinster, Stade Jean Dauger, 3.15pm
Stormers v Leicester, DHL Stadium, 3.15pm
Sunday, January 18th
La Rochelle v Harlequins, Stade Marcel Deflandre, 315pm
Pool 4
Saturday, December 6th
Bulls v Bordeaux-Begles, Loftus Versfeld, 3.15pm
Scarlets v Bristol, Parc y Scarlets, 8pm
Sunday, December 7th
Pau v Northampton, Stade du Hameau, 1pm
Saturday, December 13th
Bordeaux-Begles v Scarlets, Stade Chaban-Delmas, 5.30pm
Sunday, December 14th
Northampton v Bulls, Franklin’s Gardens, 3.15pm
Bristol v Pau, Ashton Gate, 5.30pm
Saturday, January 10th
Bulls v Bristol, Loftus Versfeld, 1pm
Scarlets v Pau, Parc y Scarlets, 8pm
Sunday, January 11th
Bordeaux-Begles v Northampton Saints, Stade Chaban-Delmas, 3.15pm
Friday, January 16th
Pau v Bulls, Stade du Hameau, 8pm
Sunday, January 18th
Bristol Bears v Bordeaux-Begles, Ashton Gate, 1pm
Northampton v Scarlets, Franklin’s Gardens, 3.15pm
