EPCR, the governing body of European club competition, has announced two rule changes to next season’s Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournaments that begin in October.
The first alteration addresses an anomaly where teams with only one victory in the pool stage of the tournament could qualify ahead of a club that won two matches in another pool. From next season three teams from each of the four six-team pools will automatically qualify for the Round of 16, to give a total of 12, with the remaining four progressing by virtue of a cross-pool ranking.
Those clubs who are ranked 13th-16th will qualify for the Round of 16 and then the next four (17th-20th place) will drop down into the Challenge Cup Round of 16. The bottom four clubs will drop out of European competition for that season.
The same principle will apply in the Challenge Cup, while acknowledging the particularities of that competition format with clubs dropping down from the Champions Cup. The same principle applies in the Challenge Cup where you have automatic and wildcard qualifiers.
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EPCR hopes that it will make for more competitive fixtures in the final two rounds of pool matches. Clubs will have more at stake, given that they’re playing for a ranking against opponents in other pools, as it will no longer be a case of only finding a way into fourth position in their particular pool.
The change comes following widespread criticism surrounding clubs with only one win qualifying for the knock-out phase of the tournament, while others were eliminated on two wins or had to drop down to the Challenge Cup despite a brace of victories.
That stated goal is to get the best performing teams into the Round of 16. EPCR has also introduced, as part of the tiebreakers between teams who have the same number of points at the end of the pool stages, that the first criteria is matches won.
The second change sees the European tournaments adopt a rule that’s already prevalent in the French Top 14 and Super Rugby and from next season the English Championship – the second tier in England – whereby a try-scoring bonus point will only be available to teams who win a match and score three or more tries more than their opponents.
EPCR studied data over a three-season sample period before deciding on the changes. The findings suggested that the try bonus point, for scoring four, was an unjust reward for a team that was hammered on the scoreboard.
What was revealed by the data was that teams that were winning easily switched off a little towards the end of matches and as a result offered up a cheap four-try bonus point. The premise is that no team should get a reward of that nature when they are appreciably dominated on the field and on the scoreboard.
The tournament organisers have retained the losing bonus point, for sides that finish seven points or less behind their opponents, thereby retaining an in-match incentive for a team that is losing to chase all the way to the final whistle.
Next season’s tournament begins in October and while that won’t be possible the following year with the World Cup in Australia, it is a start date that EPCR prefers going forward. There were rumours in France that the Champions Cup might be reduced to 16 teams, but the organisers scotched the suggestion. The current participation of 24 teams is agreed until at least 2030.
Expressions of interest to host the 2028, 2029 and 2030 Champions and Challenge Cup finals are also being reviewed, as is a venue for the first Club World Cup, the outcome of which EPCR teased could be available sooner rather than later.
The governing body also confirmed that in excess of 20,000 ticket packages have been sold for next season’s Champions and Challenge Cup finals at the 59,000-capacity Groupama stadium in Lyon next May.
