Saints must finish in top eight to secure Champions Cup spot

Saints must finish in the top eight in the Gallagher Premiership this season to qualify for the 2020/21 European Champions Cup competition.
Saints claimed a fine Champions Cup win at Lyon in January to book a place in this season's quarter-finals, where they will meet ExeterSaints claimed a fine Champions Cup win at Lyon in January to book a place in this season's quarter-finals, where they will meet Exeter
Saints claimed a fine Champions Cup win at Lyon in January to book a place in this season's quarter-finals, where they will meet Exeter

That is because the EPCR Board has unanimously agreed that new Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournament formats will be introduced for the 2020/21 season.

The decision to alter the formats for next season on an exceptional basis has been made against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and its ongoing impact on the professional club game in Europe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 2020/21 Champions Cup will be competed for by 24 clubs with the eight highest-ranked representatives from the Premiership, the Guinness PRO14 and the TOP 14 securing their places.

The clubs will be divided into two pools of 12 by means of a draw and the tournament will be played over eight weekends.

There will be four rounds of matches in the pool stage, followed by a knockout stage consisting of home and away quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in Marseille on May 22, 2021.

For the purposes of the pool draw, the clubs will be separated into tiers, and clubs from the same league in the same tier will not be drawn into the same pool.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The number one and number two ranked clubs from each league will be in Tier 1, the number three and number four ranked clubs will be in Tier 2, the number five and six ranked clubs will be in Tier 3, and the number seven and number eight ranked clubs will be Tier 4.

As it stands, Saints would be in Tier 3 as they currently sit sixth in the Premiership, 11 points clear of eighth-placed London Irish with five games of the regular season to go.

The Tier 1 and the Tier 4 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league, will play one another home and away during the pool stage, as will the Tier 2 and Tier 3 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league.

The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals, and the clubs ranked numbers five to eight in each pool will compete in the knockout stage of the Challenge Cup.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“With an expanded knockout stage and no repeats of domestic matches during the pool stage, this format creates brand new competitive opportunities for Europe’s elite clubs and their fans,” said EPCR chairman, Simon Halliday.

“In this time of change, the Heineken Champions Cup with its global stars of the game, its passionate supporters and its unique match-day atmosphere undoubtedly remains The One to Win.”

As for the Challenge Cup, that will start with 14 clubs – six from the TOP 14, four from the Premiership and four from the PRO14 – in a single pool.

The tournament will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the preliminary stage and again, clubs from the same league will not play against one another.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With no requirement for a pool draw on this occasion, the 2020/21 Challenge Cup fixtures will be available to clubs and fans shortly following the conclusion of the current season.

The tournament knockout stage will consist of a round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals with the final in Marseille on May 21, 2021.

The leading eight clubs, as well as eight representatives from the Heineken Champions Cup, will qualify for the round of 16.

QUALIFIED CLUBS FOR 2020/21 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP

PRO14: Leinster Rugby, Edinburgh Rugby, Munster Rugby, Ulster Rugby, Scarlets, Glasgow Warriors, Connacht Rugby, Dragons (Rankings TBC at conclusion of current season)

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

TOP 14: Bordeaux-Bègles, Lyon, Racing 92, RC Toulon, La Rochelle, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Toulouse, *Montpellier or Castres Olympique

Premiership : TBC

QUALIFIED CLUBS FOR 2020/21 CHALLENGE CUP

PRO14: Benetton Rugby, Cardiff Blues, Zebre Rugby Club, Ospreys

TOP 14: Bayonne, Castres Olympique, Brive, Pau, Agen, Stade Français Paris

Premiership: Newcastle Falcons (A further 3 clubs TBC at conclusion of current season)

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

*NB If not already ranked number one, the winners of the 2020 Heineken Champions Cup will become the second-ranked club from its league. If not already qualified for the Heineken Champions Cup, the winners of the 2020 Challenge Cup will take the place of the eighth-ranked club from its league.

Start of 2020/21 season: weekend of December 11/12/13, 2020.

Related topics: