The draw for the group stage of the Challenge Cup took place this Tuesday. Vannes, promoted to the Top 14 and who will discover the European Cup, will have to face Gloucester, finalist of the last edition, in group 3.
Vannes with Gloucester and Edinburgh, complicated draw for Perpignan and Lyon. The draw for the group stage of the EPCR Challenge Cup for the 2024/2025 season took place this Tuesday, highlighting a competition that promises to be thrilling. With historic clubs and ambitious new faces, the fight for the title promises to be intense.
The Sharks, winners of the last edition, have been transferred to the Champions Cup. The guest clubs, Black Lion and Toyota Cheetahs, are also back, ready to create a surprise and leave their mark on this competition. For their part, Section Paloise, USAP, Lyon, Bayonne, Montpellier and RC Vannes will be the French representatives. For this edition, three groups of six teams have been formed. Each group will include two clubs from the Top 14, which guarantees high-level clashes.
Not easy for Perpignan and Lyon
A historic first for Vannes. The Breton club, promoted to the Top 14 for the first time in its history, will immediately discover the European competition. RCV will play in group 3 alongside Bayonne but also Gloucester, finalist of the last edition, the Georgians of Black Lion, the Scarlets and the Scots of Edinburgh, eliminated in the quarter-finals by the future winner last season. The four other French clubs in the running will be divided into the other two groups.
In Pool 1, Perpignan and Lyon will face Cardiff, Connacht, quarter-finalists of the last edition, the South Africans of the Cheetahs and Parma. In Pool 2, Montpellier and Pau will have to do battle with the Ospreys, who were also among the last eight teams in the race last season, Newcastle, the Dragons and the Emirates Lions (South Africa). As a reminder, two teams from the same country cannot play each other. The French clubs will therefore only face the other teams in their respective pools.
Challenge Cup – the composition of the three groups
Poule 1 : Cardiff, Connacht, Cheetahs, Perpignan, LyonParma
Group 2: Montpellier, Pau,
Newcastle, Dragons, Emirates Lions, Ospreys
Group 3: ValvesBlack Lion,
BayonneScarlets, Edinburgh,
Gloucester
