French club make competition bow as opponents revealed

Edinburgh Rugby have found themselves among some familiar foes in the draw for next season’s EPCR Challenge Cup, which was made in Cardiff on Tuesday morning.

Just like last season, Sean Everitt’s side find themselves in Pool 3 of the 18-team competition. They are joined by the French sides Vannes and Bayonne, Richard Cockerill’s Georgian guest team Black Lion, the 2024 finalists Gloucester and the Welsh club Scarlets.

Each team will play only four group stage matches, two home and two away. The top four from each group qualify for the last 16 where they are joined by four sides dropping out of the Investec Champions Cup pool stage. Edinburgh were alongside Black Lion, Gloucester and Scarlets in Pool 3 last season and finished third in the six-team group to qualify for the knockout stages. They beat Bayonne in the last 16 before losing to the Sharks in the quarter-final.

Edinburgh have found out their opponents in the pool stage of the 2024-25 EPCR Challenge Cup. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Vannes are playing in the competition for the first time. The club from Brittany won promotion to the Top 14 and will be making their European debut. Black Lion didn’t play Edinburgh last season, despite being in the same group. The Georgian club are led by former Edinburgh coach Cockerill and played a friendly match in Scotland last season, coming out on top against a combined Edinburgh/Glasgow under-23 team.

Bayonne, who finished 12th in the Top 14, also played Glasgow last season, losing at home to Franco Smith’s side in the group stage of the Champions Cup. They dropped into the Challenge Cup and lost 33-15 to Edinburgh at the Hive.

Edinburgh beat Scarlets 31-19 away in last season’s pool stage but lost narrowly at home to Gloucester, 21-20. Gloucester went on to reach the final where they lost to the Sharks at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

2024-25 Challenge Cup

Pool 1: Cardiff, Connacht, Toyota Cheetahs, Perpignan, Lyon, Zebre Parma.

Pool 2: Montpellier, Pau, Newcastle Falcons, Dragons, Emirates Lions, Ospreys.

Pool 3: RC Vannes, Black Lion, Bayonne, Scarlets, Edinburgh, Gloucester.

Match dates

Round 1 – 6/7/8 December

Round 2 – 13/14/15 December

Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025

Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025

Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025

Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025

Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025

2025 EPCR Challenge Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Friday 23 May

Edinburgh Rugby drawn beside old foes, ex-coach and debutants in EPCR Challenge Cup

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