Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs and London Irish all travel to South Africa in next season's Champions Cup

Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs and London Irish all face trips to South Africa next season after the pool stages for the Champions Cup were finalised.

The 2022-23 campaign will see six South African franchises incorporated into the Champions and Challenge Cups for the first time, taking their places alongside European clubs from the Premiership, the Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship.

Harlequins take on the Durban-based Sharks, as well as Racing 92, in home-and-away fixtures. Exeter face the Bulls, from Pretoria, and Castres. London Irish have been drawn against the Cape Town side the Stormers, current holders of the URC, and Montpellier, the Top 14 champions.

In the second-tier tournament, Worcester Warriors are the only Premiership team to face South African opposition. They will play the Lions in Johannesburg and the West Midlands.

Elsewhere, Leicester Tigers, recent victors in the Premiership final, have Clermont and Ospreys in the Champions Cup pool matches. Saracens, runners-up in a compelling domestic final at Twickenham, face Lyon and Edinburgh.

Northampton Saints are rewarded for making the Premiership play-offs with two Champions Cup clashes against La Rochelle, the European champions, and Munster. Gloucester take on Bordeaux and Leinster.

Completing the eight-team Champions Cup delegation from the Premiership are Sale Sharks. They play Ulster and Toulouse.

Meanwhile, in the Challenge Cup, Bristol Bears face Zebre and Perpignan, Newcastle face Connacht and Cardiff, Bath face Toulon and Glasgow Warriors and Wasps face Dragons and Bayonne. As well as the Lions, Worcester face Benetton.

Teams competing in the Champions and Challenge Cups are split into two groups. Each side will play four pool matches – two against two different pool opponents who cannot be from the same country – before the knockout stages.

Another change for the coming season will be the removal of a two-legged last-16 round, which featured in 2021-22. That stage will now be a single match.

Champions Cup draw

Pool A (opponents in brackets)

Castres (Exeter, Edinburgh)

Saracens (Lyon, Edinburgh)

Bulls (Lyon, Exeter)

Bordeaux-Bègles (Gloucester, Sharks)

Harlequins (Racing 92, Sharks)

Leinster (Racing 92, Gloucester)

Racing 92 (Harlequins, Leinster)

Gloucester (Bordeaux-Bègles, Leinster)

Sharks (Bordeaux-Bègles, Harlequins)

Lyon (Saracens, Bulls)

Exeter (Castres, Bulls)

Edinburgh (Castres, Saracens)

Pool B

Montpellier (London Irish, Ospreys)

Leicester  (Clermont Auvergne, Ospreys)

Stormers (Clermont Auvergne, London Irish)

Toulouse (Sale, Munster)

Northampton (La Rochelle, Munster)

Ulster (La Rochelle, Sale)

La Rochelle (Northampton, Ulster)

Sale (Toulouse, Ulster)

Munster (Toulouse, Northampton)

Clermont Auvergne (Leicester, Stormers)

London Irish (Montpellier, Stormers)

Ospreys (Montpellier, Leicester)

Challenge Cup draw

Pool A (opponents in brackets)

Glasgow (Perpignan, Bath)

Toulon (Zebre, Bath)

Bristol (Zebre, Perpignan)

Connacht (Brive, Newcastle)

Cardiff (Brive, Newcastle)

CA (Connacht, Cardiff)

Newcastle (Connacht, Cardiff)

Perpignan (Bristol, Glasgow)

Zebre (Bristol, Toulon)

Bath (Toulon, Glasgow)

Pool B

Scarlets (Bayonne, Cheetahs)

Pau (Dragons, Cheetahs)

Wasps (Dragons, Bayonne)

Lions (Stade Français, Worcester)

Benetton (Stade Français, Worcester)

Stade Français (Lions, Benetton)

Worcester (Lions, Benetton)

Dragons (Pau, Wasps)

Bayonne (Scarlets, Wasps)

Cheetahs (Scarlets, Pau)

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