Leo Cullen and Ronan O'Gara to renew rivalry as Leinster pooled with La Rochelle in Champions Cup draw

Irish Times

21 hours ago

Leinster
have been drawn in the same Pool Three as French club
La Rochelle
for next season's
Champions Cup
continuing a growing rivalry between the sides that reaches back to the 2021 tournament.
Since then, the two heavy hitters have faced each other six times with three wins each and Leinster coming out on top, 14-16, in the last meeting in January at Stade Marcel Deflandre.
As well as La Rochelle, Leinster have two English Premiership clubs; Leicester Tigers, who last won the competition in 2002, and Harlequins, another French club Aviron Bayonnais, and South African side Stormers.
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Because Leinster are in the
URC
with the Stormers, they will play only against the four other teams in the pool, either home or away.
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Munster, who were knocked out last season by Bordeaux at the quarter-final stage, were drawn in Pool Two along with French clubs Toulon and Castres, English sides Bath and Gloucester, and Scotland's Edinburgh.
Munster have carved out their own little bit of history with Castres and have played against them three times since 2021, the last meeting taking place in December 2024 at Stade Pierre-Fabre, where the home side edged out the province 16-14.
Bath head coach Johann Van Graan. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA
Munster's players will also reacquaint themselves with former coach Johann van Graan, who has been head of rugby at Bath since 2022. He had been at Munster from 2017 before leading the English side to victory in this season's Premiership, ending a 29-year drought.
Leinster, Toulouse, Bath and Bordeaux were separated for the draw as the four nominated Tier 1 sides. Bordeaux won the trophy this year and Toulouse beat Leinster in the final in 2024, while Leo Cullen's side won this year's URC and Bath the Premiership.
The 2026 Champions Cup final is set to take place at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao on Saturday, May 23rd.
In the Challenge Cup, Connacht, under new coach Stuart Lancaster, have been drawn in the same pool as Zebre Parma with Georgian side Black Lion also among their opponents.
The Black Lion franchise was created in 2021 to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup and is owned by the Georgian Rugby Federation, which employs the players.
Stuart Lancaster was named Connacht's new head coach last month. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Connacht played Zebre Parma last December at Dexcom Stadium, winning 43-12 before making a run to the quarter-finals and narrowly falling to Racing 92 in Galway. Ospreys, Montpellier and US Montauban completes Connacht's Pool One.
Ulster have been drawn in Pool Three with some stiff opposition. The French Top 14 provides Racing 92 and Stade Francais, with Exeter, Cardiff and the South African Cheetahs completing the pool.
The possibility is that coach Richie Murphy and his Ulster side could find themselves travelling to France twice to face the two heavyweight Parisian teams.
Ulster are in the second-tier competition having finished 14th in last season's URC.
Leo Cullen's ongoing jousting with La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara is the most eye-catching of the meetings across the two tiers. In their January meeting, the hosts dominated the first half before Leinster went in ahead at the break through a well-taken try from Joe McCarthy.
Leinster outhalf Sam Prendergast kicked a few penalties to extend the lead but La Rochelle hit back through Dillyn Leyds to set up a fraught finale.
It took a sturdy defensive effort for Leinster to hold on and secure a place in the last 16.
La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara ahead of the Champions Cup game against Leinster at Stade Marcel Deflandre in January. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
With the pools now set, the fixture schedules for both tournaments, including dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage, will be announced later this month.
Fixtures are determined following the input of individual club calendar and venue considerations, broadcast requirements, and league calendar restrictions.
The season will again be played over eight weekends, with four rounds of matches in the pool stages followed by the knock-out stages, consisting of a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in May.
Meanwhile, Munster confirmed their preseason friendly against Biarritz Olympique, which had been due to take place on Friday, August 22nd, has been cancelled by the Basque club.
Biarritz informed Munster this week that due to a delay to pitch renovations at the Stade Aguilera, they are unable to host the preseason fixture.
Both clubs explored alternative venues in the hope the match could go ahead, but no viable and workable solutions were found. Munster will now make alternative arrangements regarding preseason preparations.
Champions Cup 2025/26 pools:
Pool One:
Stade Toulousain, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Saracens, Glasgow Warriors, Sale Sharks
Pool Two:
Bath Rugby, RC Toulon,
Munster Rugby
, Castres Olympique, Edinburgh Rugby, Gloucester Rugby
Pool Three: Leinster Rugby
, Leicester Tigers, Harlequins, Stade Rochelais, Aviron Bayonnais, DHL Stormers
Pool Four:
Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Scarlets, Bristol Bears, Section Paloise, Northampton Saints, Vodacom Bulls
Challenge Cup 2025/26 pools:
Pool One:
Ospreys, Zebre Parma, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, US Montauban, Black Lion,
Connacht Rugby
Pool Two:
LOU Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Dragons RFC, Benetton Rugby, Lions, USAP
Pool Three:
Toyota Cheetahs, Cardiff Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Racing 92, Stade Français Paris,
Ulster Rugby