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Reigning champions Saracens have been handed a humdinger of a Champions Cup pool following the draw for the 2019/20 season in Lausanne on Wednesday.
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Mark McCall’s Londoners, who doubled up by going on to defeat Exeter Chiefs in a thrilling Premiership final at Twickenham three weeks after they had defeated Leinster in the European decider in Newcastle, have been drawn against Munster, Racing and Ospreys in Pool Four.
Saracens defeated Munster in the semi-finals last April, while they also defeated Racing in the 2016 Champions Cup final in Lyon which marked the first of their three titles.
Elsewhere, Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg will have an immediate reunion with his former Glasgow Warriors team-mates as beaten Premiership finalists Exeter were paired with the beaten PRO14 finalists in Pool Two. That pool also includes La Rochelle, the beaten Challenge Cup finalists in May, and big-spending Sale who are expecting a big uplift in results next season.
Meanwhile, beaten Champions Cup finalists Leinster, who bounced back to clinch PRO14 honours in Glasgow, have been pitted against Lyon and Benetton along with Northampton, who they defeated in the 2011 decider with a memorable second-half comeback.
So there we have it ?
The Pools for next season's #ChampionsCup are set in stone for all to see ?
Initial thoughts on the groups?
The toughest pool is _____ ??? pic.twitter.com/aO0cGcYenl
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) June 19, 2019
Pool One: Leinster, Lyon, Northampton, Benetton;
Pool Two: Exeter, Glasgow, La Rochelle, Sale;
Pool Three: Clermont, Ulster, Harlequins, Bath;
Pool Four: Saracens, Munster, Racing, Ospreys;
Pool Five: Toulouse, Gloucester, Connacht, Montpellier.
We are now live! Watch the story of the draw unfold as next season’s Heineken Champions Cup pools are revealed. Who will face-off for European glory? #rugby #europeanrugby #glory #RugbyValues #Champions2020 #Heineken #ChampionsCup https://t.co/0gsupUYx4v
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) June 19, 2019
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Prior to the draw, which was conducted by Bryan Habana and Dimitri Yachvili, the 20 participating teams were divided into four tiers of five teams.
Tier one: Saracens, Leinster, Toulouse, Clermont, Exeter;
Tier two: Gloucester, Munster, Lyon, Glasgow, Ulster;
Tier three: Harlequins, Connacht, Racing, Northampton, La Rochelle;
Tier four: Bath, Benetton, Montpellier, Sale, Ospreys.
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EPCR WEEKENDS – 2019/20 season
Round 1: 15/16/17 November 2019
Round 2: 22/23/24 November 2019
Round 3: 6/7/8 December 2019
Round 4: 13/14/15 December 2019
Round 5: 10/11/12 January 2020
Round 6: 17/18/19 January 2020
Quarter-finals: 3/4/5 April 2020
Semi-finals: 1/2/3 May 2020
Champions Cup final (Stade de Marseille) Saturday, 23 May, 2020
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