Champions Cup. These 4 facts which show that English rugby is in a catastrophic state

English club rugby is going badly. Worcester, London Irish and Wasps have gone bankrupt in 2022, and the level of Premiership teams continues to decline relentlessly. This 2024-2025 edition of the Champions Cup is the perfect reflection of this: here is the proof.

1. Northampton only team to receive in 8^e final

5 English clubs out of 8 entered won their ticket for the 8^es of the Champions final. In itself, it's not that catastrophic, but let's not forget that only a third of the teams are “dismissed” at the end of the group stage.

Last year, English rugby placed 6 in 8^es final, but above all had 3 teams which had won the opportunity to receive in 8^es. This season? Northampton avoided zero points for England at this level.

Saracens – after an improbable surprise defeat at home against a revamped Castres – and Harlequins went as 4^e chicken. On the razor's edge…

Of the 4 English clubs who will play away in 8^es final, we are not giving much of the skin of Harlequins, who will go to Leinster, or of Sale, who will have to contend with the reigning champion Toulouse. Good luck also to Leicester, who will travel to Glasgow, and to Saracens, whose trip to Toulon is planned.

2. Bath and Bristol, leaders eliminated

Bath and Bristol are currently first and second in the English Championship. Two clubs which have one thing in common: they failed to qualify for the 8^es of the Champions Cup final. Clear proof of the bankruptcy of English rugby.

Certainly, Bath and Bristol appeared in a very dense group 2, with Leinster, La Rochelle, Clermont and the surprising Italians of Treviso. But very quickly, things went wrong. Bath started with a home defeat against La Rochelle, showing some limitations. His only victory? Against Clermont, who played 55 minutes at 14. Bristol? The Bears held on, but they also only had one success (against Treviso).

More broadly, in the group stage alone, English clubs had 19 wins last year. There were only 13 this year. A chasm.

3. Exeter, the worst record

This Champions Cup was a long ordeal for Exeter, winner of the competition in 2020 and quarter-finalist last year. Having seen a large part of their stars leave, the Chiefs are struggling in their domestic championship. And this resulted in 4 big spankings on the European scene.

Exeter are the only team who have not won a match. And the Chiefs have had a series of defeats, conceding a total of 224 points in 4 games (56 on average). At home, there were two colossal defeats: (64 points against Toulouse, 69 against Bordeaux-Bègles).

4. Leicester takes 80 in Toulouse

Leicester, a monument to English club rugby, knew that it would not be easy in Pool 1, alongside Toulouse and Bordeaux. But if the Tigers managed to grab the 3^e Instead, they ended the group stage with a humiliation at Ernest-Wallon (80-12).

80 points, 12 tries conceded, and suitcases full of doubt. This is the record number of points conceded by a team during this group phase of the 2024-2025 edition.

More broadly, the Tigers have never taken so many points in a Champions Cup match (previous record: 55 against Leinster in 2022-2023) and suffered such a gap (previous record: -43 against Glasgow in 2016-2017) .

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