Top 10 Can't-Miss Rugby Matches Of The Investec Champions Cup Pool Play
Top 10 Can't-Miss Rugby Matches Of The Investec Champions Cup Pool Play
The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup begins Dec. 6. Here are the can't miss matches of the four pool-play rounds.
Rugby union has had its fun so far during the ongoing international break, but we at FloRugby also can’t wait to get the club scene rolling again.
And with the pool stages of the 2024-2025 edition of the Investec Champions Cup right around the corner, it’s time to start looking ahead at the eye-popping matches that are coming your way soon as the most esteemed prize in club rugby in the world is up for grabs.
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Here’s a look at 10 matches in Champions Cup pool play you’ll need to keep tabs on, as the grandest club rugby competition in the world nears its return:
Leicester Tigers At Bordeaux Rugby
Handre Pollard. Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Ben Youngs. Damian Penaud.
The star power on display between Leicester and Bordeaux should make for a treat of a fixture on the opening weekend of pool play, featuring a clash between sides that are in second place in their respective league tables at the time of the international break.
Leicester, one of the world’s most successful rugby clubs with 11 Premiership titles and two Champions Cup wins to its name, will be looking to halt Bordeaux’s momentum in its tracks after Les Girondins made the Top 14 final last season — the club’s first major final appearance since being founded during a merger of its two parent clubs in 2006.
UBB Vs. Leicester Kickoff In Round 1
- Round 1: Union Bordeaux-Bègles vs. Leicester Tigers, 8 a.m. ET, Dec. 8, 2024, Stade Chaban-Delmas
Leicester Tigers At Toulouse Rugby
Speaking of clubs that win a lot of trophies, Leicester’s 21 major titles all-time will meet what’s both Europe’s most successful club and the 2023-2024 Champions Cup winner in Toulouse, which pulled off the Top 14-Champions Cup double for the third time in its history last season (it also achieved the feat in 1996 and 2021).
The greatest active rugby player at the moment, France captain and superstar Antoine Dupont, wears a Toulouse shirt at club level, so that should be enough reason to keep your eyes peeled to his team’s tussle against the Tigers in Round 4.
But in case that’s not, keep in mind that the match’s timing could make it a determinant for who gets a home fixture in the Round of 16.
Toulouse Vs. Leicester Tigers Kickoff In Round 4
- Round 4: Stade Toulousain vs. Leicester Tigers, 10:15 a.m. ET, Jan. 19, 2025, Stade Ernest Wallon
Toulouse Rugby At Hollywoodbets Sharks
Fixtures like Toulouse-Sharks are exactly the type of matches rugby fans began dreaming about once South African teams joined the United Rugby Championship — and, therefore, became eligible for the Champions Cup/Challenge Cup — during the 2021-2022 season.
Toulouse, the defending Champions Cup winner, has never played a match in South Africa in the country’s URC era, but the squad will get a proper introduction at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban, which can hold upward of 50,000 spectators.
Also, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi will compete in his first match against a French side since leaving Racing 92 in the offseason to return to the Sharks, adding an extra wrinkle to what should be an anticipated tilt.
Sharks Vs. Toulouse Kickoff In Round 3
- Round 3: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Stade Toulousain, 10:15 a.m. ET, Jan. 11, 2025, Hollywoodbets Kings Park
La Rochelle At Bath Rugby
What’s the best way Bath can show that it has arrived again as a force on the European stage? By defeating a continental giant that also rose from the ashes recently.
Playing second-tier rugby in France just 10 years ago, La Rochelle has since transformed and become a major player, both at home and abroad, by making the Champions Cup final three years in a row from 2021-2023, winning it twice (2022, 2023).
Bath, meanwhile, is a rugby institution as a 159-year-old club, but just two years ago was only saved from relegation from the Premiership by a pandemic-induced moratorium. Now, after a Premiership final appearance last season, it’s ready to take another step forward.
Bath Vs. La Rochelle Kickoff In Round 1
- Round 1: Bath Rugby vs. Stade Rochelais, 3 p.m. ET, Dec. 6, 2024, The Rec
Leinster Rugby At La Rochelle Rugby
A rematch from last season’s quarterfinal round (in which the Irish side was victorious), two of the last three Champions Cups have been decided in La Rochelle-Leinster fixtures, both of which (in 2022 and 2023) were classics.
As two of the biggest clubs in European rugby, Leinster and La Rochelle’s showdown in Round 3 at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre could be a decider on who gets a home fixture in the knockout rounds, considering that Premiership Rugby leader Bath also is looming in Pool 2.
If you can only watch one match in Champions Cup pool play this year, this might be the one.
La Rochelle Vs. Leinster Kickoff In Round 3
- Round 3: Stade Rochelais vs. Leinster Rugby, 10:15 a.m. ET, Jan. 12, 2025, Stade Marcel Deflandre
Bath Rugby At Leinster Rugby
At the international break, Leinster leads the United Rugby Championship table, while Bath holds the top spot in the Premiership Rugby standings. That means that something has got to give.
The hallowed pitch at the Aviva Stadium will play host to arguably the highlight fixture of Round 4, as Leinster — which is on a hunt to finally bring the Champions Cup back to the province after three straight defeats in the final — will be trying to shut down an upstart Bath side that lost in last year’s Premiership final and is looking for a return to European glory after last winning the Champions Cup in 1998.
Leinster Vs. Bath Kickoff In Round 4
- Round 4: Leinster Rugby vs. Bath Rugby, 12:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 18, 2025, Aviva Stadium
Northampton Saints At Vodacom Bulls
Northampton’s Premiership title defense definitely could be going better right now, but what better way is there to rejuvenate a season than by playing the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, where scents of beer, braais and boerie rolls linger in the air while up to over 50,000 fans scream their heads off at a venue over 1,300 meters above sea level?
The Saints’ first trip abroad for pool play will be a big one, as the Bulls — who lost to Northampton in last season’s Champions Cup quarterfinals — will be seeking revenge against a Saints side missing two club legends in Courtney Lawes and Alex Waller, who left Northampton after last year’s Premiership final.
Bulls Vs. Northampton Kickoff In Round 2
- Round 2: Vodacom Bulls vs. Northampton Saints , 8 a.m. ET, Dec. 14, 2024, Loftus Versfeld
Saracens At Munster
It has not been the best season so far for Munster, with coach Graham Rowntree departing the URC club following the international break after a poor run of form that sees them sit 12th in the table.
But regardless of how Munster is looking ahead of the opening matches of Champions Cup pool play in a few weeks, a high-stakes European night at Thomond Park — with “The Fields of Athenry” and “Stand Up And Fight” belting through the crowd — has few equals.
Saracens will visit the province in Round 3 in the first of what will be crucial back-to-back matchups against English sides for the Irish side, considering that it’ll take a trip over to face the Northampton Saints to close out pool play, too.
Munster Vs. Saracens Kickoff In Round 3
- Round 3: Munster Rugby vs. Saracens, 12:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 11, 2025, Thomond Park
Glasgow Warriors At Toulon Rugby
The reigning United Rugby Championship winners are going to one of the most iconic grounds in club rugby? Sign us up, please.
The Scottish side, which currently ranks second in the URC table behind white-hot Leinster, will go abroad for the first time in Champions Cup play in Round 2 and visit the Stade Mayol on Dec. 15.
There, the Warriors will be welcomed with an ear-splitting Pilou Pilou chant from those supporting Les Rouge et Noir, before what should be a pulsating match; the two clubs were also matched up in Pool C last year, and Toulon will be looking to get some revenge over Glasgow, which won the match a season ago.
Toulon Vs. Glasgow Warriors Kickoff In Round 2
- Round 2: RC Toulon vs. Glasgow Warriors , 8 a.m. ET, Sun, Dec 15, 2024, Felix Mayol Stadium
Glasgow Warriors At Harlequins
Only in the Champions Cup can you see a rugby rivalry renewed between an English and Scottish club side.
With England-Scotland always an important match at the international level in the Six Nations, club counterparts in each place don’t meet as often, with Scottish clubs in the URC and English clubs in the domestic Premiership.
And while the Warriors will welcome the Sale Sharks in Round 1 in their first matchup of pool play against one of England’s best, their visit to the Twickenham Stoop in London during the final weekend before the knockout rounds should be a raucous affair, helped by the knowledge that the Harlequins will be aiming to follow their run to the Champions Cup semifinals last season.
Harlequins Vs. Glasgow Warriors Kickoff In Round 4
- Round 4: Harlequins vs. Glasgow Warriors , 3 p.m. ET, Jan. 18, 2025, Twickenham Stoop
How To Watch The Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Season On FloRugby
Every match of the Investec Champions Cup is streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
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
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.