RugbyRebels

Champions Cup
1 - Leinster, Lyon, Northampton Saints, Benetton
2 - Exeter Chiefs, Glasgow Warriors, La Rochelle, Sale Sharks
3 - Clermont, Ulster, Harlequins, Bath
4 - Saracens, Munster, Racing 92, Ospreys
5 - Toulouse, Gloucester, Connacht, Montpellier

Challenge Cup
Pool 1: Castres Olympique, Worcester Warriors, Dragons, Enisei-STM
Pool 2: Scarlets, RC Toulon, London Irish, Bayonne
Pool 3: Wasps, Edinburgh Rugby, Bordeaux-Begles, Agen
Pool 4: Stade Francais Paris, Bristol Bears, Zebre Rugby Club, Brive
Pool 5: Cardiff Blues, Leicester Tigers, Pau, Rugby Calvisano

How did Edinburgh end up in the Challenge Cup?

You'd have to say Leinster have got the best draw there. Even with Benetton and Northampton's improvements, Pool 1 looks easiest to get out of, with pool 3 also pretty good.

Mellsblue wrote:How did Edinburgh end up in the Challenge Cup?

Outqualified by Treviso amongst others.

Puja

Puja wrote:You'd have to say Leinster have got the best draw there. Even with Benetton and Northampton's improvements, Pool 1 looks easiest to get out of, with pool 3 also pretty good.

Mellsblue wrote:How did Edinburgh end up in the Challenge Cup?

Outqualified by Treviso amongst others.

Puja

For some reason I had it my head they qualified for the playoffs and assumed they’d fallen foul of requirements for min one team per country or similar. Obviously not. As you were.

‘Group of Death’ = pool 4

Mellsblue wrote:

Puja wrote:You'd have to say Leinster have got the best draw there. Even with Benetton and Northampton's improvements, Pool 1 looks easiest to get out of, with pool 3 also pretty good.

Mellsblue wrote:How did Edinburgh end up in the Challenge Cup?

Outqualified by Treviso amongst others.

Puja

For some reason I had it my head they qualified for the playoffs and assumed they’d fallen foul of requirements for min one team per country or similar. Obviously not. As you were.

‘Group of Death’ = pool 4

You do feel that Ospreys might get squashed, don't you?

Pool 2 could be quite tough too. Sale's signings will make them a tougher proposition than their seeding would suggest.

Puja

That looks a lot more comfortable than last year.
A genuine chance to reach the KO stages (also, a genuine chance picking up LBPs only, but...)

Very happy with that, Glaws avoid Sarries and Leinster and second prem club in the pool.

3 good away venues

Gloskarlos wrote:Very happy with that, Glaws avoid Sarries and Leinster and second prem club in the pool.

3 good away venues

You'll enjoy coming down here GK!
It's easy too -daily Easyjet flights from Bristol.
I might even make the trip to Kingsholm if the date's right!

francoisfou wrote:

Gloskarlos wrote:Very happy with that, Glaws avoid Sarries and Leinster and second prem club in the pool.

3 good away venues

You'll enjoy coming down here GK!
It's easy too -daily Easyjet flights from Bristol.
I might even make the trip to Kingsholm if the date's right!

It’s a no brainer. What’s he got Toulouse.

A good Lyon the beach.

Which Tyler wrote:That looks a lot more comfortable than last year.
A genuine chance to reach the KO stages (also, a genuine chance picking up LBPs only, but...)

Same goes for Quins.

francoisfou wrote:

Gloskarlos wrote:Very happy with that, Glaws avoid Sarries and Leinster and second prem club in the pool.

3 good away venues

You'll enjoy coming down here GK!
It's easy too -daily Easyjet flights from Bristol.
I might even make the trip to Kingsholm if the date's right!

Already on it, flights look good! Think the majority on shedweb are already planning the away trips

Scrumhead wrote:

Which Tyler wrote:That looks a lot more comfortable than last year.
A genuine chance to reach the KO stages (also, a genuine chance picking up LBPs only, but...)

Same goes for Quins.

Two Premiership clubs in the same group tends to spell trouble though - there's a history of one team taking the other out with an awkwardly-timed upset while rolling over to have their tummy tickled for the foreigners.

Puja

Exe always play glasgow, I might try for an away trip and visit some family at the same time.

Puja wrote:Two Premiership clubs in the same group tends to spell trouble though - there's a history of one team taking the other out with an awkwardly-timed upset while rolling over to have their tummy tickled for the foreigners.

Bath and Quins are both perfectly capable of doing that to themselves without need each other for help (poor Freddie)

So who could be the dark horse in this Champions cup draw? From a French point of view look no further than La Rochelle. ROG is the new backs coach and I believe that they’ll continue to improve and could give pool favourites Exeter a few headaches.

Agreed. They had second season syndrome after their breakthrough a couple of seasons ago but they seemed to be putting it back together at the end of this season. How about Lyon as another?

Mellsblue wrote:Agreed. They had second season syndrome after their breakthrough a couple of seasons ago but they seemed to be putting it back together at the end of this season. How about Lyon as another?

Why not? They may well qualify as a second placed club in their pool.

francoisfou wrote:So who could be the dark horse in this Champions cup draw? From a French point of view look no further than La Rochelle. ROG is the new backs coach and I believe that they’ll continue to improve and could give pool favourites Exeter a few headaches.

Away an' yer hole he is! He's the new head coach under their Gibber of a DoR.

(Agree that they're an unknown and scary prospect, though).

fivepointer wrote:
Challenge Cup
Pool 1: Castres Olympique, Worcester Warriors, Dragons, Enisei-STM
Pool 2: Scarlets, RC Toulon, London Irish, Bayonne
Pool 3: Wasps, Edinburgh Rugby, Bordeaux-Begles, Agen
Pool 4: Stade Francais Paris, Bristol Bears, Zebre Rugby Club, Brive
Pool 5: Cardiff Blues, Leicester Tigers, Pau, Rugby Calvisano

So much choice. With no Irish sides involved it's difficult to decide who you'd most want to see do well. I can't make my mind up whether I'd rather freeze my knackers off watching the fat lads from Castres in Siberia or whether it might be a bit more fun watching the girls from Toulon throwing their milkshakes over PJ while SOB pisses up their legs?

If any Embra or Waps fans haven't been, I'd heartily recommend Bordeaux for a weekend. Brilliant spot, great wee stadium and really reasonably priced.

SerjeantWildgoose wrote:

francoisfou wrote:So who could be the dark horse in this Champions cup draw? From a French point of view look no further than La Rochelle. ROG is the new backs coach and I believe that they’ll continue to improve and could give pool favourites Exeter a few headaches.

Away an' yer hole he is! He's the new head coach under their Gibber of a DoR.

(Agree that they're an unknown and scary prospect, though).

I was wondering who’d be first to spot the deliberate mistake, and lo and behold, it’s you y’aul fecker!

That'll cost ye a bed when we come down for the quarters.

SerjeantWildgoose wrote:That'll cost ye a bed when we come down for the quarters.

Surely Munster will have a home QF? Anyways, if ye do come down here, there’ll be no time for sleeping!

francoisfou wrote:

SerjeantWildgoose wrote:That'll cost ye a bed when we come down for the quarters.

Surely Munster will have a home QF? Anyways, if ye do come down here, there’ll be no time for sleeping!

Get a room.

Frankie likes it rough, standing up in the coal shed.