Toulouse (AFP)

Toulouse, recent semi-finalist of the European Cup, will have to beat Exeter, new continental champion who deprived him of a place in the final, and Ulster, his opponent in the quarterfinals, to hope to cross the new group stage formula, which was drawn on Wednesday.

Seventh in the Top 14 at the time of the final interruption of the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic and placed as such in hat 4, the Toulouse residents were not protected and necessarily had to face one of the two best teams England and Pro 14.

This is also the case for Montpellier (8th in the Top 14), which will have to beat Leinster, winner of the former Celtic League, and Wasps, finalists in the English championship, to reach the quarter-finals.

Placed in hat 3, Clermont (6th in the Top 14) will be hardly better off with Bristol, reinforced by Semi Radradra and winner of the European Challenge, and Munster, a regular in the final phase.

Shortly beaten in the final (31-27) by Exeter in mid-October, Racing 92, relatively protected (3rd, hat 2), will have a much more affordable opposition with Connacht and Harlequins.

In this field expanded to 24 teams, the teams were divided into 2 pools of 12. Each team will play four matches, two round-trip confrontations against the two clubs from the other two championships (France, England, Pro 14) located in the hat. opposite (1 against 4, 2 against 3).

The best 4 from each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals, which will be played back and forth.

The group stage will start in mid-December and end at the end of January.

The final will take place on Saturday, May 22 in Marseille, which was to host that of the 2019-2020 edition, finally played behind closed doors in Bristol due to the Covid-19.

The draw for the 2020-2021 European Cup

Pool A (countries / opponents in brackets)

- Bordeaux-Bègles (FRA / Dragons, Northampton)

- Leinster (IRL / Montpellier, Northampton)

- Wasps (ENG / Dragons, Montpellier)

- Bath (ENG / La Rochelle, Scarlets)

- Edinburgh (SCO / La Rochelle, Sale)

- Toulon (FRA / Sale Sharks, Scarlets)

- La Rochelle (FRA / Bath, Edinburgh)

- Sale (ENG / Edinburgh, Toulon)

- Scarlets (WAL / Bath, Toulon)

- Dragons (WAL / Bordeaux-Bègles, Wasps)

- Montpellier (FRA / Leinster, Wasps)

- Northampton (ENG / Bordeaux-Bègles, Leinster)

POOL B

- Exeter (ENG / Glasgow, Toulouse)

- Lyon (FRA / Glasgow, Gloucester)

- Ulster (SCO / Gloucester, Toulouse)

- Bristol (ENG / Clermont, Connacht)

- Munster (IRL / Clermont, Harlequins)

- Racing 92 (FRA / Connacht, Harlequins)

- Clermont (FRA / Bristol, Munster)

- Connacht (IRL / Bristol, Racing 92)

- Harlequins (ENG / Racing 92, Munster)

- Glasgow (SCO / Exeter, Lyon)

- Gloucester (ENG / Lyon, Ulster)

- Toulouse (FRA / Exeter, Ulster)

© 2020 AFP