SPOTLIGHT: The 30th season of the Champions Cup returns next month with 24 teams competing to lift the trophy at the Principality Stadium in May next year.

This coming season marks the 30th staging of the annual tournament and will be a full-circle moment for Cardiff which hosted the inaugural final in 1996 in the former National Stadium.

The Principality Stadium will play host to the 2025 Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals for the first time in 11 years, on May 23/24, 2025.

First up, the three South African teams:

Bulls
Having finished second-best in last year’s United Rugby Championship final, the Bulls have made sure to not let that affect their start to the current season. With four wins from their first five, it appears they are well on the way to laying good foundations to start the Investec Champions Cup firing on all cylinders.

Opening fixture: Saracens, December 7, Allianz Stadium

Sharks
Riding the wave from winning the EPCR Challenge Cup last season, the Sharks have continued their form into the URC campaign. Having won three of their first five domestic games and with a squad full of The Rugby Championship-winning Springboks, they’re in good shape for the grueling Investec Champions Cup campaign which gets underway in a month.

Opening fixture: Exeter Chiefs, December 7, Kings Park

Stormers
Despite finishing strong domestic finishes in the last two seasons of the URC, the South African outfit will be disappointed with results so far this term. Currently 13th with two wins to their name, along with the vivid memory of losing out to Stade Rochelais by a point in the Round of 16 of last season’s Investec Champions Cup, the Stormers will be looking for more promising results this year.

Opening fixture: Toulon, December 7, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

The rest follow in alphabetical order:

ASM Clermont Auvergne
Despite an up-and-down start to the season, Clermont sits sixth in the TOP 14 table and will be hoping that the Investec Champions Cup will bear better fruit. Having reached the final in the 2013, 2015, and 2017 editions of the competition, the French side will be looking to replicate the form that took them almost all the way.

Opening fixture: Benetton, December 7, Stade Marcel-Michelin

Bath
Currently perched on the top of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby table with five wins out of a possible six, Bath will be flying high on confidence come the first round of pool games in December. As the first English winner of the tournament in 1998, they will be looking to better their Round of 16 finish last season.

Opening fixture: Stade Rochelais, December 6, The Rec

Benetton
After a 7th place finish in the United Rugby Championship qualified them for Investec Champions Cup rugby last season, the Italian side has not seen the same form so far. Currently sitting in the 11th spot in the URC, Benetton will be looking towards the Investec Champions Cup as a way to turn around their season.

Opening fixture: Clermont Auvergne, December 7, Stade Marcel-Michelin

Bristol Bears
Bears have started their domestic campaign strongly, winning four out of a possible six including a derby-day victory over Bath. However, the English side will be wary of their wooden spoon position in the pool stage of last season’s Investec Champions Cup, using that as motivation to hit the ground running this season.

Opening fixture: Leinster, December 8, Ashton Gate

Castres Olympique
Castres have had a mixed bag of results in this season’s TOP 14 with five wins and four losses. However, having beaten last season’s Investec Champions Cup winners Stade Toulousain, you can’t rule the French side out of going deep in the competition.

Opening fixture: Northampton Saints, December 7, Franklin’s Gardens

Exeter Chiefs
Currently winless in their first six games of the Premiership season, Chiefs come into this year’s Investec Champions Cup with some unwanted form. With their stellar run in last year’s tournament coming to an end at the quarter-final stage against eventual winners Stade Toulousain, the Devonshire side will be keen to replicate this run.

Opening fixture: Sharks, December 7, Kings Park Stadium

Glasgow Warriors
Sitting pretty in 2nd spot in the URC table with four wins out of a possible six, the Warriors have hit the ground running this season, giving them just the start they would have hoped for as reigning domestic champions. This form is precisely what they will need if they are to better last season’s Round of 16 run, in which they narrowly lost to Harlequins.

Opening fixture: Sale Sharks, December 7, Scotstoun Stadium

 

Harlequins
This year’s Premiership campaign has brought mixed successes for Harlequins so far, with three wins out of their opening six. However, with Joe Marler having recently retired from international duties to concentrate on his club and Marcus Smith given the starting jersey for England this autumn, they will be keen to better last year’s run to the semi-finals.

Opening fixture: Racing 92, December 7, Stade Dominique Duvauchelle

Leicester Tigers
With five wins out of their first six Premiership matches, the Tigers sit just one point behind Bath at the top of the domestic table. Armed with the confidence from key wins over teams like Northampton Saints and Saracens, the East Midlands side will be hoping to go further in the Investec Champions Cup than they did last time out when they missed out on a spot in the quarter-finals at the hands of eventual finalists Leinster Rugby.

Opening fixture: Union Bordeaux-Bègles, December 8, Stade Chaban-Delmas

Leinster
Going into the Investec Champions Cup with a perfect six wins out of six to date in the URC, the Irish side will have the wind in their sails heading into club rugby’s most extraordinary competition. Having narrowly missed out last season to a strong Stade Toulousain side after extra time in the final, they will only settle for the silverware on offer at the Principality Stadium next May.

Opening fixture: Bristol Bears, December 8, Ashton Gate

Munster
Table-toppers in last season’s URC regular campaign, Munster have not been able to replicate similar form this time out so far with four losses out of their first six games leaving them with work to do in the 12th spot. After qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Investec Champions Cup last season, Munster will need to draw on their rich history in the tournament to go further this time around.

Opening fixture: Stade Français Paris, December 7, Thomond Park

Northampton Saints
Having finished top of the Premiership’s regular season before going on to crown themselves champions in the final against Bath last year, the Saints have not quite enjoyed the same performances this season. With a 3-3 win-loss record to date in the English top-flight, they will hope to emulate their strong run in the Investec Champions Cup last year having made it to the semi-finals.

Opening fixture: Castres Olympique, December 7, 15:15, Franklin’s Gardens

 

Racing 92
Despite the presence of new stars such as English fly-half Owen Farrell, Racing 92 has struggled to find the desired form so far in this TOP 14 campaign. The Parisian outfit have suffered defeats to sides they would have wanted to get one over on, however, with their successful history in the Investec Champions Cup as three-time finalists, they’ll be targeting silverware this time.

Opening fixture: Harlequins, December 7, Stade Dominique Duvauchelle

Sale Sharks
Following two straight seasons in the Premiership’s top three, including a final appearance in 2023, it has been a bumpier road this season for the Sharks. Currently sat in ninth spot with three wins and three losses, Sharks will be looking to the Investec Champions Cup for a way to ignite their season.

Opening fixture: Glasgow Warriors, December 7, Scotstoun Stadium

Saracens
Currently sat in fourth spot in the Premiership, Saracens have enjoyed a promising start to this season’s domestic competition. Having shown they can go all the way in years gone by, crowned champions three times since 2015, they’ll be confident they can take up the challenge this year.

Opening fixture: Bulls, December 7, 17:30, Allianz Stadium

Stade Français Paris
It is safe to say that the French outfit, who find themselves in 13th spot in TOP 14, have not had the start to the domestic season that they would have desired so far. With six defeats and half of that amount in wins, the Parisians will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes in the upcoming Investec Champions Cup.

Opening fixture: Munster, December 7, Thomond Park

Stade Rochelais
With six wins already under their belt out of their opening nine outings in the TOP 14, it is this fine form that has taken them to third in the table. The French side will be looking to build on this and replicate the impressive back-to-back wins they enjoyed in recent Investec Champions Cup seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Opening fixture: Bath, December 6, The Rec

Stade Toulousain
Currently sitting pretty in the top spot in the TOP 14, Stade Toulousain has had another impressive start to this year’s domestic campaign. Armed with six wins out of their opening nine TOP 14 games, the reigning double champions head into this season’s Investec Champions Cup full of confidence where they will be aiming to defend their title.

Opening fixture: Ulster Rugby, December 8, Stade Ernest Wallon

Toulon
Having had a flying start to this season’s TOP 14 campaign with three wins out of their first four games, Toulon has had fluctuating results in recent weeks. Following their exit from the Investec Champions Cup after the pool stage last season, they will be targeting to go further in this year’s campaign as three-time winners.

Opening fixture: Stormers, December 7, Nelson Mandela Stadium

Ulster
With three wins and three losses to start off this season’s URC campaign, it has been a mixed bag so far for Ulster. Looking to gain footing with an upturn in form in the Investec Champions Cup, it will not be an easy task for the Northern Irish province, which will come up against the likes of Stade Toulousain and Union Bordeaux-Bègles.

Opening fixture: Stade Toulousain, December 8, Stade Ernest Wallon

Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Having won six of their first nine games in the TOP 14, Bordeaux has a solid footing going into this season’s Investec Champions Cup campaign. Their next two games coming up against RC Vannes and Montpellier Hérault Rugby will also provide them with the opportunity to go into the EPCR season on the back of the best possible form.

Opening fixture: Leicester Tigers, December 9, Stade Chaban-Delmas

Source @InvestecChampionsCup