By The Investec Champions Cup kicks off this weekend for the first time in October since 2018 — and all eyes are on how Ireland’s four provinces will handle Europe’s best with just three URC games under their belts.
With the road to the final in Lyon starting Saturday, BBC Sport NI assessed where each province stands after slow starts to their domestic campaigns. The verdict: Leinster remain Ireland’s leading light, but the margins have never been thinner.
Champions Cup action (Credits: BBC Sport)
Leinster: Still the Flag-Bearers, But Weaker Than Before
Last season’s beaten finalists enter as one of the biggest threats to Bordeaux-Begles’ bid for a third straight title — but with the memory of May’s 41-19 final demolition still fresh, and a squad arguably weaker than recent seasons.
James Lowe, Rieko Ioane, Rabah Slimani and Ciaran Frawley all departed over the summer, with only Frawley’s exit offset by Joey Carbery’s return — and the 30-year-old is yet to feature in his second stint through injury. They’ve won 31 consecutive Champions Cup pool games, but haven’t lifted the trophy since 2018. In Leo Cullen’s final season, only a fifth star will do.
Munster and Connacht: Knockout Ambitions, Brutal Draws
Munster crashed out last season after losing at home to Castres on the final pool day, and haven’t won a home knockout tie in four years. A draw featuring reigning champions Bordeaux away, plus the absence of Jack Crowley for at least the opening pool fixtures, makes this a test of character.
Connacht were dealt the harshest hand of all: of the last 11 Champions Cup winners, eight came from teams in their pool — Saracens, Exeter, Toulouse and La Rochelle. Stuart Lancaster’s men ended last season’s URC brilliantly but have won only one of three league games so far, with scrum and discipline issues to fix.
Ulster: A Challenge Cup Path
Ulster are in the EPCR Challenge Cup, where they were last season’s beaten finalists in Bilbao. Richie Murphy’s men open away to Zebre Parma on October 17, then face Bayonne, USAP and Dragons — a genuinely winnable route back to the latter stages.
With autumnal European rugby back at its natural time of year, all four provinces face defining months. Leinster carry the hopes, but Munster, Connacht and Ulster all have knockout-stage goals of their own.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
