Leicester and Sale to face holders La Rochelle in tough Champions Cup draw

Leicester and Sale have landed a fearsome pool draw in next season’s Champions Cup. The English clubs, who cannot play each other in the group stage, face games against the holders, La Rochelle, the runners-up, Leinster, the South African heavyweights Stormers and the Parisians Stade Français.

They will play two matches at home and two away in December and January. The top four teams in each group will comprise the last 16 later next term.

Saracens, the Premiership champions, and Bristol, who replaced London Irish after the Exiles went into administration, will tackle Bordeaux-Bègles, Bulls, Lyon and Connacht in Pool 1.

Bath, Champions Cup qualifiers after a dramatic last day of the Premiership season, are in Pool 2 alongside Harlequins. They will take on the newly crowned French champions, Toulouse, plus Racing 92, Ulster and the solitary Welsh representatives, Cardiff.

The past tournament winners Exeter and Northampton are in Pool 3, where they will face fixtures against the United Rugby Championship title holders, Munster, plus Glasgow, Bayonne and Toulon.

Gloucester have been handed a tough European Challenge Cup draw, being grouped in Pool 3 alongside Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets, Edinburgh, Castres and a yet-to-be-announced invited club.

Newcastle are in Pool 2 with Ospreys, Benetton, Montpellier, Perpignan and Lions, while Pool 1 comprises another invited club alongside Dragons, Pau, Oyonnax, Zebre Parma and Sharks.

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The top four in each group progress to the Challenge Cup last 16, where they will be joined by the four fifth-placed Champions Cup teams. The Challenge Cup and Champions Cup