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2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup

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Not to be confused with 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup.
2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup
Tournament details
Countries England
 France
 Ireland
 Scotland
 South Africa
 Wales
Tournament format(s)Modified round-robin and knockout
Date8 December 2023 – 25 May 2024
Tournament statistics
Matches played63
Attendance1,160,390 (18,419 per match)
Highest attendance82,300 – Leinster v Northampton Saints
4 May 2024
Lowest attendance6,024 – Connacht v Bordeaux
8 December 2023
Tries scored468 (7.43 per match)
Top point scorer(s)England Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
85 points
Top try scorer(s)Ireland James Lowe (Leinster)
France Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux)
France Matthis Lebel (Toulouse)
6 tries
Final
VenueTottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Attendance61,531
ChampionsFrance Toulouse (6th title)
Runners-upIreland Leinster
← 2022–23 (Previous)
(Next) 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup is the tenth season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) for teams from the top five nations in European rugby and South Africa. It was the 29th season of pan-European professional club rugby competition.

This was the second time the tournament features the top teams from South Africa, following the second United Rugby Championship season.

The tournament commenced in May 2024. The final was held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Tottenham, England on 25 May 2024, and won by Toulouse for the sixth time, defeating Leinster 31–22.[1]

Teams

[edit]

Twenty-four clubs from the three major European domestic and regional leagues qualified to compete in the 2023–24 edition of the Champions Cup.

The distribution of teams is:

  • England: eight clubs
  • France: eight clubs
    • The top eight clubs from the Top 14
  • Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, Wales: eight clubs
    • The top side in each of the four regional shields from the United Rugby Championship (one Irish, one Welsh, one South African and one either Scottish or Italian), along with the remaining top four ranked clubs regardless of nation, within the league, that didn't win their respective shield. If the club that wins the championship has not qualified by the methods above then that club, the four shield winners and the remaining top three ranked clubs regardless of nation, within the league, that didn't win their respective shield will qualify.
Premiership Top 14 United Rugby Championship
England England France France Ireland Ireland South Africa South Africa Scotland Scotland Wales Wales

Team details

[edit]

Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.

Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown through CH for Champions, RU for Runner-up, SF for losing Semi-finalist, and QF for losing Quarter-finalist.

Team Coach(es) /
Director of Rugby 		Captain Stadium Capacity Method of qualification
France Bayonne France Grégory Patat France Denis Marchois Stade Jean-Dauger 14,370 Top 14 top 8 (8th)
England Bath South Africa Johann van Graan England Ben Spencer Recreation Ground 14,509 Premiership top 8 (8th)
France Bordeaux France Yannick Bru France Jefferson Poirot Stade Chaban-Delmas 34,694 Top 14 top 8 (6th) (SF)
England Bristol Bears Samoa Pat Lam Samoa Steve Luatua Ashton Gate Stadium 27,000 Premiership top 8 (9th)[a]
South Africa Bulls South Africa Jake White South Africa Marcell Coetzee Loftus Versfeld Stadium 51,762 URC table rankings (6th) (QF)
Wales Cardiff England Matt Sherratt Wales Josh Turnbull Cardiff Arms Park 12,125 URC Welsh Shield winner (10th)
Ireland Connacht England Peter Wilkins Ireland Jack Carty Galway Sportsgrounds 8,129 URC table rankings (7th) (SF)
England Exeter Chiefs England Rob Baxter England Jack Yeandle Sandy Park 13,593 Premiership top 8 (7th)
Scotland Glasgow Warriors South Africa Franco Smith Scotland Kyle Steyn Scotstoun Stadium 7,351 URC Scottish/Italian Shield winner (4th) (QF)
England Harlequins Australia Billy Millard South Africa Stephan Lewies Twickenham Stoop 14,800 Premiership top 8 (6th)
France La Rochelle Ireland Ronan O'Gara France Grégory Alldritt
France Uini Atonio 		Stade Marcel-Deflandre 16,700 Top 14 top 8 (2nd) (RU)
England Leicester Tigers Australia Dan McKellar Argentina Julián Montoya Welford Road Stadium 25,849 Premiership top 8 (3rd) (SF)
Ireland Leinster Ireland Leo Cullen Ireland James Ryan
Ireland Garry Ringrose 		RDS Arena
Aviva Stadium 		18,500
51,700 		URC Irish Shield winner (1st) (SF)
France Lyon France Fabien Gengenbacher France Baptiste Couilloud
Samoa Jordan Taufua 		Stade de Gerland 35,029 Top 14 top 8 (3rd) (QF)
Ireland Munster England Graham Rowntree Ireland Peter O'Mahony Thomond Park 25,600 URC table rankings (5th) (CH)
England Northampton Saints England Phil Dowson England Lewis Ludlam Franklin's Gardens 15,200 Premiership top 8 (4th) (SF)
France Racing 92 England Stuart Lancaster France Henry Chavancy Paris La Défense Arena 32,000 Top 14 top 8 (5th) (SF)
England Sale Sharks England Alex Sanderson England Ben Curry AJ Bell Stadium 12,000 Premiership top 8 (2nd) (RU)
England Saracens Ireland Mark McCall England Owen Farrell StoneX Stadium 10,500 Premiership top 8 (1st) (CH)
France Stade Français France Laurent Labit France Paul Gabrillagues Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000 Top 14 top 8 (4th) (QF)
South Africa Stormers South Africa John Dobson South Africa Salmaan Moerat Cape Town Stadium 55,000 URC South African Shield winner (3rd) (RU)
France Toulon France Pierre Mignoni France Charles Ollivon Stade Mayol 17,500 Top 14 top 8 (7th)
France Toulouse France Ugo Mola France Antoine Dupont
France Julien Marchand 		Stade Ernest-Wallon 19,500 Top 14 top 8 (1st) (CH)
Ireland Ulster England Dan McFarland Ireland Iain Henderson Ravenhill Stadium 18,196 URC table rankings (2nd) (QF)
Notes
  1. ^ a b c London Irish originally qualified as one of the top 8 Premiership teams, after finishing 5th in the 2022–23 season. However, the club was officially suspended from all professional competitions on 6 June 2023, due to financial insolvency.[2] As a consequence, their spot in the Champions Cup was awarded to Bristol Bears, the highest ranked team outside the top 8.[3]

Pool stage

[edit]
[[File:
class=notpageimage|
Locations
|1300px|alt=Locations of European teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B; Green: Pool C; Purple: Pool D.]]
[[:File:
class=notpageimage|
Locations
| ]]
Locations of European teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B; Green: Pool C; Purple: Pool D.
class=notpageimage|
Locations of London teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B.
class=notpageimage|
Locations of South African teams of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Red: Pool A; Purple: Pool D.
Main article: 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage

Teams are awarded four points for a win, two for a draw, one bonus point for scoring four tries in a game, and one bonus point for losing by less than eight points.

The draw for the pool stage took place on 21 June 2023.[4] Unlike the previous season, the format consisted of four pools with six teams in each. The rules of the draw stipulated that the 2022–23 champions of the three European domestic leagues (Saracens, Toulouse and Munster) and the 2022–23 Champions Cup winners (La Rochelle) would each be drawn into separate pools. The remaining 20 teams were then drawn at random, with the only condition being that no more than two teams from the same domestic league could be placed into each pool.

Pool A

[edit]
2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool A
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Bordeaux (4) 4 3 0 1 172 83 +89 26 11 4 1 17
South Africa Bulls (6) 4 3 0 1 132 102 +30 16 16 2 1 15
France Lyon (11) 4 2 0 2 121 123 –2 18 16 3 1 12
England Saracens (13) 4 2 0 2 125 142 –17 17 20 2 0 10
Ireland Connacht (11CC) 4 1 0 3 88 140 –52 13 19 2 0 6
England Bristol Bears 4 1 0 3 80 128 –48 11 19 1 0 5
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Pool B

[edit]
2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool B
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Toulouse (1) 4 4 0 0 178 69 +109 26 10 4 0 20
England Harlequins (5) 4 3 0 1 151 109 +42 22 16 3 0 15
England Bath (9) 4 3 0 1 124 102 +22 18 14 3 0 15
France Racing 92 (16) 4 1 0 3 116 117 –1 17 16 2 2 8
Ireland Ulster (12CC) 4 1 0 3 88 147 –59 12 22 1 0 5
Wales Cardiff 4 0 0 4 80 193 –113 11 28 2 1 3
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Pool C

[edit]
2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool C
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England Northampton Saints (3) 4 4 0 0 137 75 +62 18 10 2 0 18
England Exeter Chiefs (8) 4 3 0 1 87 99 –12 13 14 1 0 13
Scotland Glasgow Warriors (12) 4 2 0 2 77 63 +14 12 8 1 1 10
Ireland Munster (14) 4 1 1 2 93 93 0 13 10 2 1 9
France Bayonne (9CC) 4 1 1 2 82 107 –25 11 16 1 1 8
France Toulon 4 0 0 4 60 99 –39 7 16 0 2 2
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Pool D

[edit]
2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool D
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Ireland Leinster (2) 4 4 0 0 123 53 +70 17 5 3 0 19
South Africa Stormers (7) 4 3 0 1 102 99 +3 12 12 2 0 14
France La Rochelle (10) 4 2 0 2 111 73 +38 13 9 2 2 12
England Leicester Tigers (15) 4 2 0 2 84 122 –38 10 16 1 0 9
England Sale Sharks (10CC) 4 1 0 3 103 110 –7 13 14 1 1 6
France Stade Français 4 0 0 4 56 122 –66 8 17 0 2 2
Green background (rows 1 to 2) indicates qualification places for a home Champions Cup round of 16.
Blue background (rows 3 to 4) indicates other teams qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16.
Yellow background (row 5) indicates qualification place for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (row 6) indicates elimination from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: European Professional Club Rugby


Knockout stage

[edit]

The knockout stage will begin with the round of 16, starting on 5 April 2024, and concludes with the final on 25 May 2024.

Like in 2022/23 the round of 16 will consist of a single leg match, consisting of the top four ranked teams from each Pool respectively. All clubs will thereafter be ranked in descending order based firstly on their ranking in their pool and subsequently on the number of match points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16. The pool winners will be ranked 1 to 4, the second-placed clubs will be ranked 5 to 8, the third-placed clubs will be ranked 9 to 12, and the fourth-placed clubs will be ranked 13 to 16.

Whilst the round of 16 follows a pre-determined format, the quarter-finals will see home advantage given to the higher ranked team based on a pre-determined match-up. The semi-finals are to be played at a neutral venue, with the higher ranked team having home country advantage.

Seeding

[edit]
Rank Team Pts Diff TF
Pool leaders
1 France Toulouse 20 +109 26
2 Ireland Leinster 19 +70 17
3 England Northampton Saints 18 +62 18
4 France Bordeaux 17 +89 26
Pool runners-up
5 England Harlequins 15 +42 22
6 South Africa Bulls 15 +30 16
7 South Africa Stormers 14 +3 12
8 England Exeter Chiefs 13 –12 13
Pool third place
9 England Bath 15 +22 18
10 France La Rochelle 12 +38 13
11 France Lyon 12 –2 18
12 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 10 +14 12
Pool fourth place
13 England Saracens 10 –17 17
14 Ireland Munster 9 0 13
15 England Leicester Tigers 9 –38 10
16 France Racing 92 8 –1 17

Bracket

[edit]
Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 France Toulouse 31
16 France Racing 92 7
1 France Toulouse 64
8 England Exeter Chiefs 26
8 England Exeter Chiefs 21
9 England Bath 15
1 France Toulouse 38
5 England Harlequins 26
4 France Bordeaux 45
13 England Saracens 12
4 France Bordeaux 41
5 England Harlequins 42
5 England Harlequins 28
12 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 24
1 France Toulouse (a.e.t.) 31
2 Ireland Leinster 22
2 Ireland Leinster 36
15 England Leicester Tigers 22
2 Ireland Leinster 40
10 France La Rochelle 13
7 South Africa Stormers 21
10 France La Rochelle 22
2 Ireland Leinster 20
3 England Northampton Saints 17
3 England Northampton Saints 24
14 Ireland Munster 14
3 England Northampton Saints 59
6 South Africa Bulls 22
6 South Africa Bulls 59
11 France Lyon 19

Round of 16

[edit]
5 April 2024
20:00
Harlequins England (5)28–24(12) Scotland Glasgow Warriors
Try: Esterhuizen 22' c
M. Smith 33' c
Murley 40+1' c
Riley 75' c
Con: M. Smith (4/4) 24', 34', 40+2', 77'		ReportTry: Cummings 2' c
Matthews 49' c
Horne 52' c
Con: Horne (3/3) 3', 50', 53'
Pen: Horne (1/1) 59'
Twickenham Stoop, London
Attendance: 12,852
Referee: Tual Trainini (France)
6 April 2024
13:30
Bulls South Africa (6)59–19(11) France Lyon
Try: De Klerk (2) 12' c, 77' m
Papier (2) 20' c, 53' c
Coetzee 27' c
Vermaak 33' c
Le Roux 48' m
Kriel 67' c
C. Smith 71' c
Con: Goosen (5/6) 13', 21', 28', 34', 54'
C. Smith (2/3) 69', 72'		ReportTry: Page-Relo 30' c
Penalty try 46'
Abrahams 55' m
Con: Jackson (1/2) 31'
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Attendance: 7,516
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
6 April 2024
16:00
Stormers South Africa (7)21–22(10) France La Rochelle
Try: Jantjies 27' c
Hartzenberg 79' m
Con: Libbok (1/2) 29'
Pen: Libbok (3/3) 3', 22', 45'		ReportTry: Penverne 49' c
Alldritt 61' c
Sclavi 68' m
Con: Hastoy (2/3) 49', 62'
Pen: Hastoy (1/1) 54'
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 27,660
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
6 April 2024
15:00
Exeter Chiefs England (8)21–15(9) England Bath
Try: Vintcent 23' c
Fisilau 55' c
Roots 65' c
Con: Slade (3/3) 23', 56', 66'		ReportTry: du Toit 20' m
Hill 27' c
Con: Spencer (1/2) 28'
Pen: Spencer (1/1) 48'
Sandy Park, Exeter
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Luc Ramos (France)
6 April 2024
18:30
Bordeaux France (4)45–12(13) England Saracens
Try: Garcia (2) 36' c, 48' c
Depoortère (2) 60' c, 66' c
Bielle-Biarrey (2) 63' c, 75' c
Con: Lucu (4/4) 37', 48', 62', 64'
Garcia (2/2) 67', 76'
Pen: Lucu (1/1) 29'		ReportTry: Lewington 71' m
Willis 78' c
Con: Goode (1/2) 80'
Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
Attendance: 28,097
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
6 April 2024
20:00
Leinster Ireland (2)36–22(15) England Leicester Tigers
Try: Gibson-Park (3) 12' c, 23' m, 29' c
Henshaw 49' c
Conan 71' c
Con: R. Byrne (3/4) 13', 30', 50'
H. Byrne (1/1) 72'
Pen: R. Byrne (1/1) 9'		ReportTry: Pollard 4' c
Cronin 45' m
Clare 75' c
Con: Pollard (2/3) 5', 76'
Pen: Pollard (1/1) 28'
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 40,775
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
7 April 2024
12:30
Northampton Saints England (3)24–14(14) Ireland Munster
Try: Ramm 9' c
Freeman 35' c
Hendy (2) 60' m, 72'
Con: Smith (2/4) 10', 36'		ReportTry: O'Brien 14' c
Haley 27' c
Con: Crowley (2/2) 15', 28'
Franklin's Gardens, Northampton
Attendance: 15,153
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
7 April 2024
16:00
Toulouse France (1)31–7(16) France Racing 92
Try: Mauvaka 5' m
Lebel 33' m
Costes 55' c
Ahki 68' c
Roumat 80' c
Con: Kinghorn (3/5) 56', 69', 80+2'		ReportTry: Ben Arous 74' c
Con: Tedder (1/1) 75'
Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse
Attendance: 18,504
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)

Quarter-finals

[edit]
13 April 2024
16:00
Bordeaux France (4)41–42(5) England Harlequins
Try: Lucu 19' m
Buros 24' c
Depoortère 42' c
Bielle-Biarrey 59' c
Tambwe (2) 64' c, 75' m
Con: Lucu (4/6) 25', 43', 60', 65'
Pen: Lucu (1/1) 52'		ReportTry: Porter (2) 2' c, 29' c
Penalty try 8'
W. Evans 40' c
Dombrandt 56' c
Green 71' c
Con: Smith (5/5) 3', 30', 42', 58', 73'
Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
Attendance: 28,056
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
13 April 2024
17:30
Leinster Ireland (2)40–13(10) France La Rochelle
Try: Lowe (2) 16', 60'
Gibson-Park 37'
Baird 42'
Sheehan 56'
Con: Byrne (3/4) 18', 38', 43'
Pen: Byrne (3/3) 7', 27', 31'		ReportTry: Penverne 40'
Con: Hastoy 40'
Pen: Hastoy (2/2) 19', 28'
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 50,055
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
13 April 2024
20:00
Northampton Saints England (3)59–22(6) South Africa Bulls
Try: Ramm 10’
Lawes 15’
Sleightholme 20’
Mitchell (2) 24’, 67'
Coles 40’
Ramm 47'
Dingwall 50'
Augustus 72'
Con: Smith (7/9) 11', 16', 21', 25', 41', 51', 68'		ReportTry: Hanekom 13'
Van der Merwe 31'
De Klerk 35'
Con: Smith (2/3) 14', 36'
Pen: Smith (2/3) 17'
Franklin's Gardens, Northampton
Attendance: 12,972
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
14 April 2024
16:00
Toulouse France (1)64–26(8) England Exeter Chiefs
Try: Ntamack 7'
Willis 31'
Kinghorn (2) 47', 55'
Ahki (2) 50', 74'
Dupont 57'
Cruz Mallía (2) 66', 78'
Con: Kinghorn (5/5) 8', 32', 48', 52', 56'
Ramos (3/4) 58', 68', 75'
Pen: Kinghorn 20'		ReportTry: Roots 16'
Wimbush 61'
Con: Slade (2/2) 17', 62'
Pen: Slade (4/4) 5', 12', 28', 43'
Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse
Attendance: 18,678
Referee: Chris Busby (Ireland)

Semi-finals

[edit]
4 May 2024
17:30
Leinster Ireland (2)20–17(3) England Northampton Saints
Try: Lowe (3) 10' c, 14' m, 43' m
Con: R. Byrne (1/3) 11'
Pen: R. Byrne (1/1) 29'		ReportTry: Hendy 58' c
Seabrook 74' c
Con: Smith (2/2) 59', 74'
Pen: Smith (1/1) 39'
Croke Park, Dublin
Attendance: 82,300
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
5 May 2024
16:00
Toulouse France (1)38–26(5) England Harlequins
Try: Lebel 3' m
Mauvaka 17' c
Flament 26' m
Dupont (2) 32' c, 36' c
Cruz Mallía 67' c
Con: Kinghorn (3/5) 20', 34', 37'
Ramos (1/1) 69'		ReportTry: Smith 13' c
Evans 23' m
Murley 45' c
Green 52' c
Con: Smith 14', 46', 53'
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
Attendance: 32,494
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Final

[edit]
Main article: 2024 European Rugby Champions Cup Final
25 May 2024
14:45 BST (UTC+01)
Leinster Ireland22–31 (a.e.t.)France Toulouse
Try: Van der Flier 93'
Con: Frawley (1/1) 97'
Pen: Byrne (4/5) 18', 43', 46', 65'
Frawley (1/1) 77'		ReportTry: Lebel 82'
Con: Ramos (1/1) 84'
Pen: Kinghorn (4/5) 4', 7', 36', 57'
Ramos (4/5) 70', 88', 92', 95'
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Attendance: 61,531
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

Leading scorers

[edit]

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Leinster lose out once again as Toulouse win sixth Champions Cup". RTE Sport. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  2. ^ "London Irish file for administration after being suspended from Gallagher Premiership and all leagues by RFU". Sky Sports. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Bristol Bears to replace London Irish in Champions Cup, EPCR confirm". BBC Sport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Heavyweight clashes to savour for 2023/24 season as EPCR pool draws completed". EPCR. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Tournament Statistics". European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
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