The draw for the 2023/24 Heineken Champions Cup has been confirmed, with a certifiable ‘Pool of Death’ emerging in the form of Pool 4. The pool stages were drawn yesterday afternoon, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which will host the Champions Cup Final on the 25th May 2024.
Pool 4 is undoubtedly the toughest of the drawn groups, as back-to-back Champions Cup finalists La Rochelle and Leinster will meet once again in the opening stage. They are joined by 2023 Premiership finalists Sale Sharks, and 2022 Premiership champions Leicester Tigers, in a formidable group.
United Rugby Championship finalists DHL Stormers join the fray, as the Pool of Death’s South African representatives. Stade Francais round off the sextet, after an impressive performance in the Top 14 saw them finish fourth in the table and reach the play offs.
This is without a doubt the Pool of Death, with four out of the six sides all reaching major finals throughout the 2022/23 season. Following the conclusion of the pool stages, the four highest ranked teams will qualify for the Champions Cup knock-out stages, and progress on to the Round of 16.
The fifth placed side will drop down into the EPCR Challenge Cup, and join up with the other progressing teams in the secondary competition’s knock-out stages. The sixth placed team will be eliminated from the competition all-together. Leinster fans must feel like their being haunted, as they draw La Rochelle in the pool stages.
The French club have beaten the Dubliners in the past two Champions Cup finals, with the latest defeat stinging that much harder for Leinster fans. Ronan O’Gara’s side secured a triumphant comeback, overcoming Leinster for a 27-26 score-line in the Aviva Stadium.