Au revoir Stormers, ‘lekker bly’ for Bulls, Sharks

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The Stormers begin life in the European Champions Cup with a trip to France, while the Vodacom Bulls and Sharks kick off their campaign on home soil.

Vodacom United Rugby Championship winners the Stormers, will face two-time Top 14 champions Clermont Auvergne at the Stade Marcel-Michelin, while the Bulls and the Sharks are set to host French side Lyon and English Premiership club Harlequins, in Pretoria and Durban, respectively.

European rugby bosses on Thursday confirmed the pool stage fixtures for the 2022-23 Champions and Challenge Cups. 

MORE: Cup draw sends Europe’s best to South Africa

The Champions Cup begins with each team playing home-and-away ties against two pool rivals over eight weekends starting in December, followed by a knockout stage consisting of a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals for each competition at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 19 and 20 May, 2023.

Meanwhile, in the second-tier Challenge Cup, the Lions will make their tournament debut away against English club Worcester Warriors, while the Cheetahs – who will play their two ‘home’ matches at Stadio Lanfranchi in Parma, go head to head with Section Paloise at Stade du Hameau in the south-west of France.

Champions Cup draw:
Pool A: Castres, Saracens, Bulls, Lyon, Exeter Chiefs, Edinburgh, Bordeaux, Harlequins, Leinster, Ulster, Racing 92, Gloucester, Sharks.
Pool B: Montpellier, Leicester Tigers, Stormers, Clermont, London Irish, Ospreys, Toulouse, Northampton Saints, La Rochelle, Sale Sharks, Munster.

Schedule:
Round 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022
Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022
Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023
Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023
Round of 16 – 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023
Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023
Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023
Champions Cup final – Saturday, 20 May 2023 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Challenge Cup draw:

European Challenge Cup
Pool A: Glasgow Warriors, Toulon, Bristol Bears, Zebre, Perpignan, Bath, Connacht, Cardiff, Brive, Newcastle Falcons.
Pool B: Scarlets, Pau, Wasps, Dragons, Bayonne, Cheetahs, Lions, Benetton, Stade Francais, Worcester Warriors.

Schedule:
Round 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022
Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022
Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023
Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023
Round of 16 – 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023
Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023
Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023
Challenge Cup final – Friday, 19 May 2023 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

Photo: @TheStormers/Twitter

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Devin Hermanus