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Saracens & Clermont to face Champions Cup rematch
By Matthew Scott
Saracens and Clermont Auvergne will meet in a European Rugby Champions Cup final rematch in next season's group stage.
Premiership giants Saracens secured consecutive continental crowns with a 28-17 victory over the French club at Murrayfield last month. It was Clermont's third final defeat in five years as European club rugby's biggest prize continues to elude them.
They will be joined in Pool 2 by Ospreys and Northampton Saints.
Sarries were denied back-to-back doubles by Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership final and Rob Baxter's men were drawn in Pool 3 alongside three-time champions Leinster, Montpellier and Glasgow Warriors.
Munster and Leicester Tigers will meet in a rematch of the 2002 final in Pool 4, with Racing 92's presence ensuring a hotly anticipated set of fixtures.
Pool 1 is comprised of Wasps, La Rochelle, Harlequins and Ulster, while Scarlets, Toulon, Bath and Bennetton Treviso were drawn in Pool 5.
In the Challenge Cup, four-time Heineken Cup winners Toulouse were drawn with Cardiff Blues, Sale Sharks and Lyon in an intriguing Pool 2.
Challenge Cup draw in full:
Pool 1: Newcastle Falcons, Newport Gwent Dragons, Bordeaux Begles, Yenisey-STM Krasnoyarsk
Pool 2: Cardiff Blues, Sale Sharks, Lyon, Toulouse
Pool 3: Gloucester, Pau, Zebre, Agen
Pool 4: Stade Francais, Edinburgh, London Irish, Krasny Yar Krasnoyarsk
Pool 5: Brive, Connacht, Worcestor Warriors, Oyonnax
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Latest Comments
Ben Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
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