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Two pools of 12 for Champions Cup, but no South African teams

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Champions Cup. (Twitter)
Champions Cup. (Twitter)

Next season's European Champions Cup will again comprise two pools of 12 teams, mirroring the set-up brought in during the Covid-19 pandemic, but will not feature South African clubs, organisers announced Monday.

The 24 clubs involved are made up of eight teams each from the English Premiership, the Pro14 and French Top14.

The clubs will be divided into two pools of 12 by means of a draw and the tournament will be played over nine weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December.

The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the knockout stage which will consist of a Round of 16 on a home and away basis, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in Marseille on May 28, 2022.

There will be no place for the four South African teams that will join up with the Pro14 next season in the new 16-team United Rugby Championship.

But Cup organisers, the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), said they were "currently putting the finishing touches to a new shareholder agreement".

EPCR said discussions to finalise the Challenge Cup format for the 2021/22 season, as well as the formats for the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup for future seasons, were ongoing.

"These discussions include the future participation of South African clubs in EPCR's tournaments as referenced recently by the United Rugby Championship and no further comment will be made until the appropriate time," the body said.

2021/22 Champions Cup qualifiers

English Premiership: 1. Harlequins, 2. Exeter, 3. Bristol, 4. Sale, 5. Northampton, 6. Leicester, 7. Bath, 8. Wasps

Pro14: 1. Leinster, 2. Munster, 3. Ulster, 4. Connacht, 5. Scarlets, 6. Ospreys, 7. Cardiff, 8. Glasgow

Top 14: 1. Toulouse, 2. La Rochelle, 3. Racing 92, 4. Bordeaux-Begles, 5. Clermont, 6. Stade Francais, 7. Castres, 8. Montpellier

Calendar

Round 1 - Dec 10/11/12, 2021

Round 2 - Dec 17/18/19

Round 3 - Jan 14/15/16, 2022

Round 4 - Jan 21/22/23

Round of 16 (1st leg) - Apr 8/9/10

Round of 16 (2nd leg) - Apr 15/16/17

Quarter-finals - May 6/7/8

Semi-finals - May 13/14/15

Challenge Cup final - May 27, 2022, at Stade Velodrome, Marseille

Champions Cup final - May 28, 2022, at Stade Velodrome, Marseille

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