Investec Champions Cup Dark Horses: Don't Be Surprised By These Clubs
Investec Champions Cup Dark Horses: Don't Be Surprised By These Clubs
The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup begins Dec. 6 and is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app. Don't be surprised if these teams do well.
As rugby fans count down the days until the start of Europe’s biggest professional rugby tournament, and arguably the best professional rugby championship competition in the world, there are a few certainties to bank on.
Toulouse and Leinster Rugby are the overwhelming favorites to return to the Investec Champions Cup Final, which is in Cardiff, Wales, in May.
Beyond those two teams, the field seems wide open.
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UBB Rugby is perhaps the third favorite in the competition after finishing second in the Top 14 last season, but defending Gallagher Premiership champions, the Northampton Saints, have struggled so far in 2024-2025, making them not so much of a favorite they probably were two months ago. It’s still hard to count them out after last season, though.
But there are 20 other professional clubs in this tournament, and there are five I think have a chance to go far many probably wouldn’t think of first.
First: What I Consider A Dark Horse In The Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Season
- If a team currently is topping its domestic league, it can’t be a dark horse.
- If a team went to the Champions Cup Final the last three seasons, or reached the semifinals last year, it can’t be a dark horse.
- If a team has a losing record now, or didn’t make the Champions Cup last season, it just may be a dark horse.
- If a team won the domestic league in 2024, it can't be a dark horse to win this tournament.
- It's subjective based on a lot of factors.
Here are the dark horses I'm riding with:
5. Munster Rugby
It has been a terrible URC season for a club that went 14-0-4 in that league just a few months ago.
Two months ago, Munster would be among the favorites to win it all, and it’s that reason this is a dark-horse team.
The club fired coach Graham Rountree in late October after a 2-0-4 start to the season and two blowout losses in South Africa coming on the heels of a loss in front of 80,000 fans against Leinster.
But much of Munster’s issues could be pointed more at injuries and international roster restrictions than coaching moves. If Munster’s interim coach Ian Costello has his full allotment of healthy players, the Red Army could make a run to the final.
4. Leicester Tigers
The Tigers are second on the Gallagher Premiership table and play in the loaded Pool 1, but if they get out of pool play, the combo of having arguably the best kicker in the world, Handre Pollard, and one of the best rugby coaches in the world, former Leinster and Argentina head coach Michael Cheika, the Tigers could beat anyone in the knockout round.
3. Benetton Rugby
OK, so Benetton has been on the wrong side of a lot of blowouts this season, and no one typically thinks “Italy: Champions Cup Dominator."
But in the FloRugby top 100 players list, Benetton has three players on the list, more than UBB Rugby, the Vodacom Bulls and several other teams you would think of as real Champions Cup contenders this year.
Heck, SFP was second in the Top 14 in 2023-2024 and had no players in the top 100.
Benetton was the surprise URC team last season but is 2-1-3 this time around. But the club proved over the last 12 months that on the right day, it can hang, and even beat, anyone.
2. Clermont Rugby
The club is 5-0-4 in Top 14 play with a -31 point differential and didn’t qualify for the Champions Cup last season, but it did reach the Challenge Cup semifinals last year.
Clermont, or ASM Clermont Auvergne, doesn’t really roll off the tongue as a Champions Cup favorite this year, but for all those Argentina Rugby fans jazzed up over Los Pumas’ epic summer in The Rugby Championship, know that the star of that team, Marcos Kremer, the 27-year-old 6-foot-7 lock, leads Clermont.
1. Hollywoodbets Sharks
Like Babe Ruth at the plate, I’m calling my shot: The Hollywoodbets Sharks, a team from Durban, South Africa, will beat Toulouse in Pool 1 play at Kings Park on Jan. 11, will go at least 2-0-2 in pool play and will make at least the semifinals of Champions Cup.
Why? Have you seen Eben Etzebeth? Or Ox Nche? Or Siya Kolisi?
The Sharks are loaded with Springboks, and without those players for much of the first third of URC play, the Sharks wouldn’t even make the Champions Cup if the URC season ended today.
But it doesn’t end today, and the Springboks returned to help the Sharks beat Glasgow and Munster before the break.
With a 3-0-2 record in URC play, there is no better definition of a dark horse to win the Champions Cup than the Sharks.
Heck, they didn't even play in the Champions Cup a season ago. Instead, they won the Challenge Cup, which is the only reason they are even in the field. The Sharks won just four URC matches in the 2023-2024 season and finished 14th in the URC table.
The question could be if the Sharks prioritize Champions Cup play or URC play, I say: Why not both?
Investec Champions Cup Format
Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup:
- A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023-2024 season
- 24 elite clubs - eight each from the Gallagher Premiership, URC and 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 Investec Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends, with four pool rounds and four knockout rounds culminating in the 2025 final, which will be staged at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday, May 24.
Investec Champions Cup Weekends
- 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
- 2025 Investec Champions Cup final – Saturday, May 24, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Champions Cup Qualifications
Twenty-four clubs have qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup as follows:
- United Rugby Championship (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
- TOP 14 (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
- Gallagher Premiership Rugby (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
- If not already qualified, the winner of the 2024 Investec Champions Cup will take the place of the eighth-ranked club in its league.
Investec Champions Cup Qualifiers
- TOP 14 – Stade Toulousain, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Stade Français Paris, RC Toulon, Stade Rochelais, Racing 92, Castres Olympique, ASM Clermont Auvergne
- GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP – Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers
- UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP – Glasgow Warriors, Vodacom Bulls, Munster Rugby, Leinster Rugby, DHL Stormers, Ulster Rugby, Benetton Rugby, Hollywoodbets Sharks
EPCR Challenge Cup Format
Key points for the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup:
- A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023-2024 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 rounds and four knockout rounds culminating in the 2025 final at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday, May 23
EPCR Challenge Cup Weekends
- 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
- 2025 EPCR Challenge Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Friday, May 23
EPCR Challenge Cup Qualifiers
Clubs from the United Rugby Championship, the TOP 14 and the Gallagher Premiership that have not qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup will compete in the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup.
If not already qualified, the winner of the 2024 EPCR Challenge Cup will secure a place in the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup, replacing the eighth-ranked club in its league.
EPCR Challenge Cup Qualifiers
- UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP – Ospreys, Emirates Lions, Edinburgh Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Scarlets, Dragons RFC, Zebre Parma
- TOP 14 – Section Paloise, USAP, Lyon Olympique Universitaire, Aviron Bayonnais, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, RC Vannes
- GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP – Gloucester Rugby, Newcastle Falcons
- INVITED – Black Lion, Toyota Cheetahs
When Does The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup Begin? When Is The Champions Cup Final?
The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec. 6, and the four-round pool-play action ends on Jan. 19, 2025. The Round of 16 starts April 4, while the quarterfinals are April 11-13. The semifinals are May 2-4.
The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff, Wales at Principality Stadium. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).
What Are The Investec Champions Cup And EPCR Challenge Cup Pools?
Here are the pools:
Investec Champions Cup:
- Toulouse (Stade Toulousain)
- Bordeaux-Bègles (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)
- Hollywoodbets Sharks
- Exeter Chiefs
- Leicester Tigers
- Ulster Rugby
Pool 2:
- Leinster Rugby
- Clermont Auvergne (ASM Clermont Auvergne)
- La Rochelle (Stade Rochelais)
- Bristol Bears
- Benetton Rugby
- Bath Rugby
Pool 3:
- Northampton Saints
- Munster Rugby
- Vodacom Bulls
- Stade Français Paris
- Saracens
- Castres Olympique
Pool 4:
- Glasgow Warriors
- Racing 92
- Sale Sharks
- DHL Stormers
- Toulon (RC Toulon)
- Harlequins
EPCR Challenge Cup
Pool 1:
- Cardiff Rugby
- Connacht Rugby
- Toyota Cheetahs
- Perpignan (USAP)
- Lyon Olympique Universitaire (Lyon O.U.)
- Zebre Parma
Pool 2:
- Montpellier Hérault Rugby
- Pau (Section Paloise)
- Newcastle Falcons
- Dragons RFC
- Emirates Lions
- Ospreys
Pool 3:
- RC Vannes
- Black Lion
- Bayonne (Aviron Bayonnais)
- Scarlets
- Edinburgh Rugby
- Gloucester Rugby
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