Toulouse (AFP)
Exeter and Ulster for Toulouse, Bristol and Munster for Clermont: unprotected, these two French clubs inherited on Wednesday an almost impossible draw for the European Rugby Cup, the formula of which has been revised due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
How many points will it take to advance to the quarter-finals?
This is the question that the 24 participants must have asked themselves when the smoking group formula concocted by the European Professional Club Rugby was illuminated around 4:00 p.m. after the drawing of lots held in Lausanne, the seat of the organizer.
Three wins (12 points guaranteed) in four matches seem to be the minimum threshold to ensure a presence in the quarter-finals, and the bonuses - offensive and defensive - will not be too much for the two French clubs, placed like Montpellier (Leinster , Wasps) in a custom "hen of death" due to the chosen system.
This is not a surprise since Toulouse and Montpellier, less well ranked in the Top 14 (7th and 8th) at the time of the final cessation of the championship due to pandemic, were placed in hat 4 and were necessarily promised to the best clubs English (Exeter and Wasps) and Irish (Leinster and Ulster), from hat 1.
It remained to be seen which ones: it will be a double reunion for Toulouse, winner of Ulster in the quarter then beaten in the semi-final by Exeter, new champion of Europe and England.
And a double mountain for the MHR, uncomfortable in this competition, with the Leinster, 2018 champion and 2019 finalist, and the Wasps, Premiership finalists.
They will have two round-trip confrontations to do the best and try to win the quarters.
- Different menu depending on the club -
Clermont, 6th in this unfinished Top 14 and placed in hat 3, could however hope for a better fate than Bristol, winner of the last European Challenge and reinforced by Fijian center Semi Radradra, and Munster, Irish heavyweight.
Coming from the same hat, Stade Rochelais was much better served with Bath and Edinburgh.
Especially since the Rochelais fell into pool A, much less stocked than pool B. And as only the 4 best ranked of each pool of 12 will survive, and this while the menu differs drastically according to the clubs, Racing can hardly rejoice to have come across the Harlequins and the Connacht, far from being scarecrows.
Because in pool B, the recent finalist will almost have to achieve a 4/4 to do better than clubs they will not face, namely Exeter, Bristol, Toulouse, Clermont, Ulster and Munster.
Of these 7 top names, at least 3 will remain at the gates of the quarters in this pool.
The teams ranked 5th to 8th will nevertheless have a consolation prize by being donated to the European Challenge.
The survivors of this uneven schedule will then be put on an equal footing in quarterfinals, which will compete back and forth.
The semi-finals and the final, scheduled in Marseille on May 22, however, remain a dry match.
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, 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 (IRL / 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)
The calendar
Day 1: weekend of 11/12/13 December 2020
Day 2: weekend of December 18/19/20, 2020
Day 3: weekend of January 15/16/17, 2021
Day 4: weekend of 22/23/24 January 2021
Quarter-finals first leg: weekend of 2/3/4 April 2021
Quarter-finals second leg: weekend of 9/10/11 April 2021
Semi-finals: weekend of April 30-May 1/2, 2021
Final: Saturday May 22 in Marseille
© 2020 AFP