Champions Cup 24/25

awec

Pool 1

• Toulouse
• Bordeaux
• Sharks
• Exeter
• Leicester
• Ulster

Pool 2

• Leinster
• Clermont
• La Rochelle
• Bristol
• Benetton
• Bath

Pool 3

• Northampton
• Munster
• Bulls
• Stade
• Saracens
• Castres

Pool 4

• Glasgow
• Racing
• Sale
• Stormers
• Toulon
• Harlequins

awec

Munster have the handiest draw by far here.

Ulster are screwed.

Leinster v La Rochelle, good to see a bit of variety here.

Pool 4 is obviously the weakest. Glasgow really getting the benefits of that league win.

OldRio

No jeopardy makes the pool stages meh.

Paul Smeenus

That's a tough ask for us (Ulster). Four difficult games.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329686#Comment_122329686

Home advantage in the knockouts is certainly not nothing, but it is a bit hard to get too worked up over. It doesn't help that we've topped our pool the last number of years anyway and it has still ended in pain and suffering.

Anyway, would like to go to an away match in Clermont so that's something at least. Will probably get them at home now just to screw that up.

FtD v2

Yeah, it's like they go 1-4 in ascending order of difficulty. Ulster's draw is extremely tough - Beyond Toulouse & Bordeaux, you've the Sharks who have half the Springbok side and finished the season really strongly, and then Exeter & Leicester who are always tough to put away too. Ulster could very conceivably finish bottom of that pool.

Leinster's draw is very tough, but I'm more confident about it. No easy games really, but I'd back us to beat any of those teams.

In Group 3, Northampton were excellent this year, but I think they'll regress next year up front with the loss of Lawes and Ludlam. With the Bulls - it entirely depends on whether you get them home or away. Sarries will likely be improved next year to some extent, and will have Fergus Burke in the saddle at 10.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329725#Comment_122329725

Descending 😉

Glasgow gotta be eyeing the chance to top group 4.

awec

Toulouse and Bordeaux both beat us in France, hard to see us getting wins there. Even getting them in Belfast it's a tough ask.

A big part of this group is going to be determined by the order of fixtures and who the Sharks get at home. If the French teams have to travel there in later fixtures, and they already have qualification sorted, I could see weak teams going and the Sharks picking up surprise points.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329725#Comment_122329725

Ulster won't be playing Sharks. They only play the English and French teams. Exeter and Leicester aren't that great. The finished 7th and 8th last season. I could definitely see Ulster winning their two home games.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329766#Comment_122329766

Yea we don't play Sharks but what points they pick up against other teams will impact us.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329783#Comment_122329783

I still think ye'd beat either of those English sides or UBB at home. A win and you're into the last 16. Two wins and you're in with a chance of a home tie.

Paul Smeenus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329793#Comment_122329793

What an indictment of the way this competition is run now.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122329923#Comment_122329923

Huh, interesting. My initial response is still "lies, damned lies and statistics"

I don't think it captures how much the teams care about Europe are are likely to compete.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122330456#Comment_122330456

It's a nonsense take by that twitter lad to be honest.

Exclamation Marc

It's also not really a "Group of Death" anymore when 4 of the 6 teams qualify. It really only means something if you're guaranteed a high profile casualty.

Ribs1234

just pointing out that Munster won’t play the bulls as the two teams are in the same league. Newspapers have missed that.

Buer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122330456#Comment_122330456

It's a silly take. It ignores what the actual reality of the situation is. By his metric, getting LAR is preferable to getting SF which is nonsense.

The fact that teams don't all play each other makes it a bit silly. SF can look at Pool 3 and consider it an absolute ball ache of a group with potential trips to Northampton and Pretoria whilst hosting Munster and Saracens. But Munster can look at that and immediately be thinking top spot is within our control here given they don't have to play the Bulls.

And Toulouse in Pool 1 (which is a stinker on paper) can look at it and think it's not that bad for them as they're going to face Ulster, Sharks, Exeter and Leicester none of whom made it beyond the quarter final in any tournament this year either European or domestic (and Exeter shouldn't have made it even to the QF of Europe, in reality). They also have Bordeaux who are going to beat most other teams and take points away from competitors. But Ulster are looking at it thinking they're cursed and it's a horror pool.

pickarooney

Why should Exeter not have made it to the QF but tye same is not true for Bordeaux, out of interest ?

Buer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122333366#Comment_122333366

I'm being harsh on Exeter, perhaps. They beat Bath by a single score after Russell went off injured for Bath in the opening stages. They're not at a European QF standard, in fairness. Wasn't a massive surprise when they were obliterated in the next round.