Once upon a time, back in the glory days of the Champions Cup, the tournament was a more intriguing and layered middle-distance, nine-game run to the title. And the penny has now dropped for the 24 teams on the starting blocks embarking upon this weekend’s opening round of the 2025-26 Champions Cup. In 2023-24 La Rochelle won away to the Stormers by 22-21 in the Round of 16 and Harlequins won their quarter-final in Bordeaux by 42-41. Bayonne away in the fourth round could be very difficult for Leinster if the French side are still in contention. Possible finishing order: Leinster, La Rochelle, Stormers, Harlequins.

Source: The Irish Times December 05, 2025 16:31 UTC