Northampton Saints have been drawn into Pool 3 of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup, and will lock horns with Munster Rugby, Vodacom Bulls, Stade Français Paris and Castres Olympique during the competition’s opening rounds.
The draw – which took place in Cardiff earlier today – saw the 24 teams in the Champions Cup drawn into four pools of six teams, with Saints set to head to either Ireland, South Africa or France next season.
The men in Black, Green and Gold twice took on Munster during their journey to the semi-finals of the 2023/24 competition. Phil Dowson’s side triumphed 26-23 at Thomond Park in the pool stages before defeating the Irish province 24-14 in the Round of 16 at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
Saints will also come up against Vodacom Bulls for the second time in as many seasons, having defeated the Pretoria-based outfit 59-22 in a quarter-final contest at the Gardens in April.
Castres Olympique are another familiar foe for Saints. They met three times in the 2016/17 season, starting with a pre-season friendly before losing 41-7 away in France in the Champions Cup pool stages. However, back at the Gardens, Northampton triumphed 28-21.
Saints were also drawn against Castres for four seasons in a row between 2010 and 2014, with Saints winning five and losing three of the eight meetings across that period.
Saints’ final match of that season’s competition saw Stade Français Paris travel to Northampton in a Champions Cup qualifying final. Saints fought from 22-6 down and having had Tom Wood dismissed to win 23-22 to secure their participation in the following season’s competition.
Gallagher Premiership rivals Saracens are also in Pool 3 with Saints, but they will not meet in the group stage of the competition.
The 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will continue with the same pool stage format as last season and will kick off in December with two consecutive rounds of action, followed by Rounds 3 and 4 on consecutive weekends in January 2025.
EPCR will now begin working on the fixture schedule – exact dates, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced in the coming weeks.
If you have purchased or renewed your Season Ticket for the 2024/25 campaign, all of Saints’ home clashes in the Pool stage of the Champions Cup are included in your package.
Pool 1
Stade Toulousain
Union Bordeaux Bègles
Hollywoodbets Sharks
Exeter Chiefs
Leicester Tigers
Ulster Rugby
Pool 2
Leinster Rugby
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Stade Rochelais
Bristol Bears
Benetton Rugby
Bath Rugby
Pool 3
Northampton Saints
Munster Rugby
Vodacom Bulls
Stade Français Paris
Saracens
Castres Olympique
Pool 4
Glasgow Warriors
Racing 92
Sale Sharks
DHL Stormers
RC Toulon
Harlequins
Investec Champions Cup 2024/25 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
- Final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Saturday 24 May
