After Toulon won the 2022/23 title the focus has already switched to the 2023/24 European Rugby Challenge Cup campaign as 18 teams from across Europe and South Africa battle it out for the trophy.
Europe’s second-tier competition has a proud history going back to the turn of the professional era in rugby union and all sides involved will be determined to get their hands on the trophy in May 2024.
The 18 teams are split into two pools, with the top four teams from Pool A and Pool B progressing to the knockout stage of the competition.
Previously just for teams in Europe, the competition has expanded to teams in South Africa
What | European Rugby Challenge Cup |
Where | Various stadiums across Europe and South Africa |
When | Friday 8th December 2023 - Friday 24th May 2024 |
How to watch | S4C and BT Sport |
This year’s competition will kick-off on Friday 8th December. The final is set to take place on Friday 24th May 2024.
The competition will take place across the home grounds of all 18 clubs involved in the competition.
The final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup will take place at a venue yet to be confirmed on Friday 24th May 2024.
The competition will be available to watch via BT Sport across the UK and also on S4C in Wales.
Including the first 1996/97 season, there have been 27 previous European Rugby Challenge Cup campaigns.
There have been 18 different winners of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, with French outfit Bourgoin becoming the first champions in the 1996/97 season.
The first four winners of the competition came from France, with Colomiers, Clermont and Pau following in Bourgoin’s success.
Harlequins became the first English champions in 2000/01, with six other English clubs also getting their hands on the trophy.
Quins and Clermont are the clubs to have won the European Rugby Challenge Cup the most, with both sides getting their hands on the trophy on three occasions respectively.
Toulon are the reigning champions after beating Glasgow Warriors 43-19 in last season’s final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Once again the French sides will be expected to go far in this season’s competition.
The last three seasons of the European Rugby Challenge Cup have seen the winners come from France in the form of Montpellier, Lyon and Toulon.
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