The Cheetahs to play in the EPCR Challenge Cup

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Published on 18th June 2025 | Leave a response

The Cheetahs will play in the EPCR Challenge Cup. So will South Africa’s Lions.

CHEETAHS GET TO GO AGAIN IN THE EPCR CHALLENGE CUP

The EPCR leadership confirmed that 18 club will participate in the Challenge Cup, won this season by Johann van Graan’s Bath. Van Graan’s team would also win the Gallagher Premiership final against Leicester.

The Lions are in the Challenge Cup because they finished outside of the Vodacom URC top eight this past season.

The Cheetahs, who don’t compete in the URC, have again been welcomed as a special participant, along with Georgia’s Black Lion.

The Cheetahs, who don’t play any home matches in South Africa, last season based themselves in Amsterdam for their home matches.

Steyn’s Toyota Cheetahs, desperate for all-year round competition, will play in the Currie Cup, which starts in the last week of July.

They qualified for the Currie Cup, having finished in the top four of the SA Cup. They were edged by Griquas in the semi-final.

The Lions, who have never qualified for the Investec Champions Cup, will be desperate to improve on what was a disappointing Challenge Cup 2024/25 season.

The EPCR, in confirming that the draw for both competitions would be made on the 1st July, outlined the respective structures and how the Pools are grouped in each competition.

The 24 Investec Champions Cup clubs which have qualified on merit from the TOP 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship (URC) will once again compete in four pools of six – Pool 1, Pool 2, Pool 3 and Pool 4.

The key principles of the Investec Champions Cup draw are as follows:

Each pool of six will contain two clubs from each of the leagues.

Clubs from the same URC Shield cannot be in the same pool. Therefore, the Irish qualifiers – Munster Rugby and Leinster Rugby – will each be drawn or allocated into separate pools, and similarly, the Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks from South Africa cannot be in the same pool.

There will be no matches between clubs from the same league, so in order to create the pool stage fixtures, each club will play four matches against four different clubs who are not from the same league either home or away.

For the purposes of the draw, the clubs will be divided into two tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. The four clubs in Tier 1 will be: Union Bordeaux Bègles (2025 Investec Champions Cup winners), Bath Rugby (2025 Gallagher Premiership winners), Leinster Rugby (2025 URC winners), and the TOP 14 winners. If Union Bordeaux Bègles win the TOP 14 title, then the Investec Champions Cup final runners-up, Northampton Saints, will be included in Tier 1.

To start the process, the four Tier 1 clubs will be drawn with the first club out of the drum going into Pool 1, the second club out of the drum going into Pool 2, the third club out of the drum going into Pool 3 and the fourth club out of the drum going into Pool 4.

Adhering to the key principles, the remaining 20 clubs in Tier 2 will then be drawn or allocated into the pools. If a club cannot be drawn into a pool in accordance with the key principles, then the club will be allocated to the next available pool. The process will then re-start at the pool into which the initial club could not be drawn.

BORDEAUX WIN THE INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool draw

The 2025/26 EPCR Challenge Cup will once again have 18 clubs – eight from the URC, six from the TOP 14, two from the Gallagher Premiership and two invited clubs, Black Lion from Georgia and the Toyota Cheetahs from South Africa – competing in three pools of six, Pool 1, Pool 2 and Pool 3.

The following are the key principles integral to the EPCR Challenge Cup draw:

Each pool of six will contain two TOP 14 clubs.

As the draw will include three Welsh clubs – Cardiff Rugby, Ospreys and Dragons RFC – each pool will have one Welsh representative.

The Italian clubs Benetton Rugby and Zebre Parma, who are from the same URC Shield, cannot be in the same pool.

Connacht Rugby and Ulster Rugby, who are from the same URC Shield, cannot be in the same pool.

Exeter Chiefs and the Newcastle Falcons, the two Gallagher Premiership qualifiers, cannot be in the same pool.

The Lions from South Africa, as well as the two invited clubs, Black Lion and the Toyota Cheetahs, cannot be in the same pool.

A maximum of three URC clubs can be included in the same pool.

Clubs will play four different opponents home or away during the pool stage and a limited number of same-league fixtures will be unavoidable.

To start the process, all 18 club balls will be placed in the drum, and any three balls will be drawn separately with the first club out of the drum going into Pool 1, the second club out of the drum going into Pool 2 and the third club out of the drum going into Pool 3.

The draw will then continue on an ‘open’ basis with the next club out of the drum going into Pool 1, the following club out of the drum going into Pool 2, and so on in ascending numerical order until all club balls are drawn or allocated provided that the key principles are adhered to.

If a club cannot be drawn into a pool in accordance with the key principles, then the club will be allocated to the next available pool. The process will then re-start at the pool into which the initial club could not be drawn.

The 2025/26 fixture schedules for both tournaments with dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced as soon as possible. Fixtures will be determined using an algorithm which will take into consideration league calendar restrictions, individual club calendar restrictions, broadcast requirements and the pool draws.

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