2023/24 EPCR tournament formats announced

[TRF_Olyy]

• EPCR confirms a return to a multi-pool format for 2023/24 season, agreed with the Leagues and Unions
• 24 clubs in the Champions Cup will be in four pools of six, and 18 clubs in the EPCR Challenge Cup will be in three pools of six
• The leading eight clubs from each of the three Leagues will compete in the Champions Cup
• Two invited clubs will compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup
• The new formats will drive increased sporting jeopardy with each club playing against four different opponents home or away in the pool stages

https://www.epcrugby.com/2023/06/14/2023-24-epcr-tournament-formats-announced/
Glad to see the pools back,
80% representation for the Prem in the Champions cup, as it bloody should be
Be interested to see who the two invitees are - really hoping it's two Romanian/Georgian/Spanish/Italian sides like back in the day, if not then Jersey/Ealing, but realistically it'll probably be Cheetahs and Griquas or something

 

[big ginger 8]

Return to pools = good

Continuing with a last 16 in a 24 club competition = not good

 

[Groundhog]

Sorry, but making a decent format really shouldn't be this hard.

Any idea who the invited teams for Challenge Cup are? Tier 2 clubs?

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Hopefully Currie cup winner and then European super cup winner. Don’t know if those teams can afford the travel.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Any idea who the invited teams for Challenge Cup are? Tier 2 clubs?

There were rumours that it was two clubs from the Championship (Jersey and Ealing) because of London Irish and Wasps/Worcester going under,
I reckon it'll probably be two Currie Cup sides after last years debacle, though

Really hope it's two tier 2 sides - maybe the top two from the Rugby Europe Super Cup, it's got sides from Georgia, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Israel in, and would give them something to aim for and help them progress.

Hopefully Currie cup winner

Boooooooo

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

"If Stade Rochelais happen to win the TOP 14 title, then the Champions Cup final runners-up, Leinster Rugby, will be included in Tier 1."

Give me Tier 2

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Also considering this:

There will be no matches between clubs from the same league, so for the purposes of creating the fixtures, each club will play four matches against four different clubs who are not from the same league either home or away during the pool stage.

This seems redundant / anti-competitive:

Clubs from the same URC Shield cannot be in the same pool. Therefore, the Irish qualifiers – Munster Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Ulster Rugby and Connacht Rugby – will each be in a different pool, and similarly, the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls from South Africa will be kept apart during the draw

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

So you are in groups of 6 but you play 4 different teams? What is the point of the group? Why aren’t you playing all teams in your group? Why is this so hard?

 

[munstermuffin]

Like strange format if I have it right. Leinster as a tier 2 could have to play 1 4 games and 2 away. 1 will probably be against Saracens, La Rochelle or Toulouse with no return game.
Like it really will be funny like potentially taking Leinster there is a world where there 2 away games are Toulouse or La Rochelle and a trip to South Africa. And having a South Africa team away and home we both know are 2 totally different worlds

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Like strange format if I have it right. Leinster as a tier 2 could have to play 1 4 games and 2 away. 1 will probably be against Saracens, La Rochelle or Toulouse with no return game.
Like it really will be funny like potentially taking Leinster there is a world where there 2 away games are Toulouse or La Rochelle

Bring it on

and a trip to South Africa. And having a South Africa team away and home we both know are 2 totally different worlds

Can't be that hard

 

[munstermuffin]

Bring it on

Can't be that hard

Depends what part. If it just Cape Town or Jo Burg it alright sure

 

[Quel Carreleur]

I just don't see the need for so many teams.
If it's got more than half the teams from any particular league, then it's not really an improvement on that league.

My favoured is always going to be:
6 from URC, 5 from T14, 4 from Prem + reigning champions. Arranged into 4 pools of 4.
Top 2 go through to the Cup QFs, bottom 2 go to the Plate QFs (no dropping down to the Challenge Cup).

Ideally Challenge Cup can be 4 pools of 4; 6 from URC, 6 from T14, 4 from Prem. Again, Cup and Plate KO stages.

Tier 3 can then be the remaining 3-4 URC, the remaining 1-2 from T14 and the remaining 1-2 from Prem; with 8 others (maybe top 2 from ProD2 and Championship + Georgia, Portugal, Romania & Spain?).

Tier 4 for the rest of Europe.


Not perfect (mostly because each league wants more teams in there, to maintain interest in their own league's mid-table), but my preference, tight, simple, everyone gets a QF, shouldn't be any major mis-matches.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sounds like Heineken aren't renewing their sponsorship

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Hear me out but wouldn't be the worse thing for rugby right now if Tiktok picked up the main sponsorship. Especially if they plug it hard.

Hell I wouldn't mind if the Prem got picked up by Tiktok lol, rugby needs something to connect it to most of the markets that Tiktok is massive in.

Tiktok champions cup winners all have to do a dance on the winner podium I can say this because Leicester are never going to win.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah they've been a great sponsor for the Women's 6N - see more advertising for that comp than the men's online

Rugby needs a kick up the arse WRT social media, they're not utilising it to even a fraction of the extent that they should if they want to be growing the game
Plugging some cantankerous ex-players podcasts ain't it

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Yeah they've been a great sponsor for the Women's 6N - see more advertising for that comp than the men's online

Rugby needs a kick up the arse WRT social media, they're not utilising it to even a fraction of the extent that they should if they want to be growing the game
Plugging some cantankerous ex-players podcasts ain't it

What you mean hearing two ex rugby players from nearly 20 years ago talk about the size of players dicks and melted wheel bin bodies isn't going to expand the game?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Any podcast featuring two players from the mid 2000s to early 2010s

 

[TRF_Olyy]

https://www.epcrugby.com/2023/07/06/invited-clubs-announced-for-2023-24-epcr-challenge-cup/
Really happy to see the Black Lion involved,
Not so much the Cheetahs

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Cheetahs over the Lusitanos or Iberians is such a dog **** call

Let’s help out an actual developing rugby nation, like maybe one who has just qualified to the rugby World Cup or nearly did and who have a completely new market for rugby

Or another SA team that isn’t needed

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ohhhh Cheetahs are to play in amsterdam for Europe.
Honestly that's a cool move

Disagree with the team being in over Spain and Portugal but they should make the other SA teams play in Germany (Munich and Berlin maybe), Amsterdam and Switzerland lol

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Top 14 relegation fodder’s espoirs and vets vs Currie cup semi finalists really gets the loins going

 

[higgik]

Cheetahs over the Lusitanos or Iberians is such a dog **** call

Let’s help out an actual developing rugby nation, like maybe one who has just qualified to the rugby World Cup or nearly did and who have a completely new market for rugby

Or another SA team that isn’t needed

I agree, but if the Saffers are in then all their major teams should be in, so Cheetahs in, maybe add them to the Super Cup as well.
I personally think a top tier of 20 teams in 4 groups of 5 playing home OR away, with knockouts create greater excitement.
Second tier of 25 in 5 groups of 5 playing with top 5 from Super Cup would work, (if Cheetahs were included, as well as a 3rd Italian team and a 3rd Scottish team)

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I agree, but if the Saffers are in then all their major teams should be in, so Cheetahs in, maybe add them to the Super Cup as well.
I personally think a top tier of 20 teams in 4 groups of 5 playing home OR away, with knockouts create greater excitement.
Second tier of 25 in 5 groups of 5 playing with top 5 from Super Cup would work, (if Cheetahs were included, as well as a 3rd Italian team and a 3rd Scottish team)

Are Cheetahs a major team at the moment?

I think any invitee kind of defeats the purpose of European competition, they should make the last two spots available to the Rugby Super Cup finalists and forget about the Cheetahs imo.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I agree, but if the Saffers are in then all their major teams should be in, so Cheetahs in, maybe add them to the Super Cup as well.
I personally think a top tier of 20 teams in 4 groups of 5 playing home OR away, with knockouts create greater excitement.
Second tier of 25 in 5 groups of 5 playing with top 5 from Super Cup would work, (if Cheetahs were included, as well as a 3rd Italian team and a 3rd Scottish team)

Why should all their major teams be in it?

It’s not an entitlement.

If the cheetahs are that major a team why did they get kicked out the UrC for the others?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Why should all their major teams be in it?

It’s not an entitlement.

If the cheetahs are that major a team why did they get kicked out the UrC for the others?

Yeah but they USED to be in the top league, which is why I think they should invite Orrell RUFC next season

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Cheetahs were a club four years ago. Now they are just another Currie cup side and they can’t even win that. I wonder if the SARU has some sponsor obligations they need to fulfill but it makes no sense.

I’d rather see the actual Currie cup champs or super cup second place.

Czech Republic is now in the super cup this year so good progress there.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

We've got Stade and La Rochelle at home, Leinster and Stormers away

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

We've got Leinster and La Rochelle at home, Stade and Stormers away

I'm happy with that ideally would've swapped La Rochelle and Stade but I just didn't want Stormers away potentially something that can **** a season up

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Literally might bankrupt us, but oh well - we had a good run

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Literally might bankrupt us, but oh well - we had a good run

I read you have Stormers and Leinster away

Tigers POV
La Rochelle away will be fun slight arse to get too, but exciting atmosphere
Stade away prob the best away game of the pool
Leinster at home gives us the best chance I guess, potential RWC fallout.
Stormers at home miles better than away.