| 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |  England France Ireland Scotland South Africa Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Modified round-robin andknockout |
| Date | 9 December 2022 – 20 May 2023 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 24 |
| Matches played | 63 |
| Attendance | 1,028,422 (16,324 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 51,711 –Leinster vLa Rochelle 20 May 2023 |
| Lowest attendance | 4,800 –Castres vExeter Chiefs 10 December 2022[a] |
| Tries scored | 396 (6.29 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Antoine Hastoy (La Rochelle) 97 points |
| Top try scorer(s) | Josh van der Flier (Leinster) 6 tries |
| Final | |
| Venue | Aviva Stadium,Dublin |
| Attendance | 51,711 |
| Champions | La Rochelle (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Leinster |
The2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup was the ninth season of theEuropean Rugby Champions Cup, the annual clubrugby union competition run byEuropean Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) for teams from the top five nations in European rugby and South Africa. It was the 28th season of pan-European professional club rugby competition.
Dutch beer brandHeineken continued as the title sponsor of the competition, extending their deal after their previous agreement expired at the end of the 2021–22 season.[1]
This was the first year to feature the top teams from South Africa, following the inauguralUnited Rugby Championship season.
The tournament commenced in December 2022. Thefinal was held atAviva Stadium inDublin, Ireland on 20 May 2023.[2] The match was a repeat of the 2022 final, withStade Rochelais defeatingLeinster for the second consecutive year.[3]
Twenty-four clubs from the three majorEuropean domestic and regional leagues competed in theChampions Cup.
The distribution of teams was:
The following teams qualified for the tournament.
| Premiership | Top 14 | United Rugby Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | France | Ireland | South Africa | Scotland | Wales |
Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.
Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown throughCH for Champions,RU for Runner-up,SF for losing Semi-finalist, andQF for losing Quarter-finalist.
For the purposes of the pool draw, the 24 clubs were separated into tiers based on their league finishing position, and clubs from the same league in the same tier were not drawn into the same pool. The number 1 and number 2 ranked clubs from each league are in Tier 1, the number 3 and number 4 ranked clubs are in Tier 2, the number 5 and 6 ranked clubs are in Tier 3, and the number 7 and number 8 ranked clubs are in Tier 4.
In effect, each pool contains one team from each of the three leagues, from each of the four tiers.
Pool play will feature the Tier 1 teams playing the Tier 4 teams in their pool twice, home and away, while the Tier 2 and 3 clubs will follow in a similar manner. However a team will not play the relevant team from its own league i.e. the tier 1 French team will play the tier 4 English and tier 4 URC team in its pool, but will not play the tier 4 French team in its pool. Each team will therefore play four pool games over four match weekends.
As with the previous two seasons, the 24 teams will play four rounds of pool matches. These will take place from 9–18 December 2022 and 13–22 January 2023.[needs update] Sixteen teams will qualify for the knockout rounds. In a change from the 2021–22 format, the round of 16 contests will take the form of a single match rather than a two-legged tie.[12]
The eight teams from each pool with the best points will qualify for the knockout stage, a single-leg single-elimination bracket of 16 teams. Teams finishing 9th and 10th after pool play will join theChallenge Cup, also at the round of 16 stage (joining twelve qualifiers from the Challenge Cup pool stage), once more in a single-leg single-elimination bracket.Last season's home-and-away two-legged round of 16 has not been continued.
Red: Pool A;
Blue: Pool B. Red: Pool A; Blue: Pool B.Teams were awarded four points for a win, two for a draw, one bonus point for scoring four tries in a game, and one bonus point for losing by less than eight points.
| Teams ranked in the top 8 of each pool advance to 2022–23EPCR Champions Cup round of 16. | |
| Teams ranked 9th and 10th in each pool advance to2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16. | |
| Teams ranked 11th and 12th in each pool are eliminated from 2022 to 2023 European competition. |
| 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool A | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | |
| Leinster | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 184 | 34 | +150 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 139 | 68 | +71 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| Sharks | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 119 | 89 | +30 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Saracens | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 94 | +26 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| Edinburgh | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 111 | 85 | +26 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| Harlequins | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 113 | 108 | +5 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Bulls | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 102 | 139 | –37 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Gloucester | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 62 | 140 | –78 | 9 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Lyon | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 115 | 125 | –10 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Racing 92 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 121 | –61 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bordeaux Bègles | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 53 | 99 | –46 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Castres | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 56 | 132 | –76 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Green background (rows 1 to 8) indicates qualification places for theChampions Cup round of 16. Blue background (rows 9 to 10) indicates qualification places for theChallenge Cup round of 16. Starting table — source:European Professional Club Rugby | ||||||||||||
| 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool B | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | |
| La Rochelle | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 57 | +63 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Toulouse | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 53 | +57 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Stormers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 106 | 68 | +38 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Leicester Tigers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 89 | +27 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Ospreys | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 88 | +12 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Munster | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 73 | 67 | +6 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Montpellier | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 92 | 104 | –12 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Ulster | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 93 | –39 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Clermont | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 85 | 111 | –26 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Sale Sharks | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 94 | –20 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| London Irish | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 76 | 115 | –39 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Northampton Saints | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 54 | 121 | –67 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Green background (rows 1 to 8) indicates qualification places for theChampions Cup round of 16. Blue background (rows 9 to 10) indicates qualification places for theChallenge Cup round of 16. Starting table — source:European Professional Club Rugby | ||||||||||||
The knockout stage began with the round of 16, starting on 31 March 2023, and concludes with the final on 20 May 2023.
Unlike theprevious year, the round of 16 consists of a single leg of matches, consisting of the top eight ranked teams from Pool A and Pool B respectively, with the top four from each receiving home advantage.[13]
Whilst the round of 16 follows a pre-determined format, the quarter-finals include an expected home advantage to the higher ranked team. The semi-finals are to be played at a neutral venue.
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Leinster | 30 | |||||||||||||||||
| B8 | Ulster | 15 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Leinster | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
| B4 | Leicester | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| B4 | Leicester | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| A5 | Edinburgh | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Leinster | 41 | |||||||||||||||||
| B2 | Toulouse | 22 | |||||||||||||||||
| B2 | Toulouse | 33 | |||||||||||||||||
| A7 | Bulls | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| B2 | Toulouse | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Sharks | 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Sharks | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| B6 | Munster | 35 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Leinster | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| B1 | La Rochelle | 27 | |||||||||||||||||
| B1 | La Rochelle | 29 | |||||||||||||||||
| A8 | Gloucester | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| B1 | La Rochelle | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Saracens | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Saracens | 35 | |||||||||||||||||
| B5 | Ospreys | 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| B1 | La Rochelle | 47 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Exeter | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Exeter[g] | 33 | |||||||||||||||||
| B7 | Montpellier | 33 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Exeter | 42 | |||||||||||||||||
| B3 | Stormers | 17 | |||||||||||||||||
| B3 | Stormers | 32 | |||||||||||||||||
| A6 | Harlequins | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 31 March 2023 20:00 |
| Leicester Tigers | 16–6 | Edinburgh |
| Try:Wiese 52' c Con:Pollard (1/1) 53' Pen:Pollard (3/4) 5', 59', 71' | Report | Pen:Boffelli (2/3) 43', 51' |
| Mattioli Woods Welford Road,Leicester Attendance: 12,844 Referee:Mathieu Raynal (France) |
| 1 April 2023 13:30 |
| Sharks | 50–35 | Munster |
| Try:Hendrikse 15' c Etzebeth 24' c Mbonambi (2) 44' c, 48' m Kok 53' c Bosch 57' c Mapimpi 63' c Con:Bosch (6/7) 17', 24', 45', 58', 64' Pen:Bosch (1/2) 4' | Report | Try:S. Daly 5' c Kilcoyne 31' c Barron 60' c Haley 68' c Wycherley 77' c Con:Crowley (5/5) 6', 33', 61', 69', 78' |
| Kings Park Stadium,Durban Attendance: 27,987 Referee:Wayne Barnes (England) |
| 1 April 2023 16:00 |
| Stormers | 32–28 | Harlequins |
| Try:Fourie (2) 2' c, 31' m Kitshoff 9' m Willemse 50' m Engelbrecht 75' c Con:Libbok (2/5) 3', 77' Pen:Libbok (1/1) 57' | Report | Try:Dombrandt (2) 4' c, 78' c Esterhuizen 79' c Marchant 80+4' c Con:Smith (4/4) 5', 78', 79', 80+5' |
| Cape Town Stadium,Cape Town Attendance: 33,651 Referee:Pierre Brousset (France) |
| 1 April 2023 17:30 |
| Leinster | 30–15 | Ulster |
| Try:Baird 19' c Gibson-Park 53' c Porter 62' c Con:R. Byrne (3/3) 20' 54' 63' Pen:R. Byrne (3/4) 11' 25' 37' | Report | Try:Hume 26' m Herring 57' c Con:Cooney (1/1) 58' Pen:Doak (1/1) 10' |
| Aviva Stadium,Dublin Attendance: 51,700 Referee:Luke Pearce (England) |
| 1 April 2023 18:30 |
| La Rochelle | 29–26 | Gloucester |
| Try:Bourgarit 21' c Thomas (2) 25' m, 77' c Kerr-Barlow 45' c Con:Hastoy (3/4) 23', 46', 79' Pen:Hastoy (1/2) 5' | Report | Try:Harris 12' c Clarke 33' m Rees-Zammit 49' m Con:Twelvetrees (1/3) 13' Pen:Twelvetrees (3/4) 15', 55', 70' |
| Stade Marcel-Deflandre,La Rochelle Attendance: 16,000 Referee:Mike Adamson (Scotland) |
| 2 April 2023 12:30 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 33–33[g] (a.e.t.) | Montpellier |
| Try:Sio 22' c S. Simmonds 34' c Wyatt 55' m Iosefa-Scott 64' c Yeandle 100' c Con:J. Simmonds (4/5) 23', 35', 65', 100+1' | Report | Try:Langdon 3' c Rattez 7' m Nouchi 76' m Carbonel 93' c Con:Garbisi (2/4) 4', 95' Pen:Garbisi (2/3) 39', 53', 80+4' |
| Sandy Park,Exeter Attendance: 10,582 Referee:Andrew Brace (Ireland) |
| 2 April 2023 15:00 |
| Saracens | 35–20 | Ospreys |
| Try:Malins (2) 40' c, 56' c Taylor 68' c Woolstencroft 79' m Con:Farrell (3/4) 40+1', 57', 69' Pen:Farrell (3/4) 9', 34', 63' | Report | Try:Collins 11' c K. Williams 22' c Con:O. Williams (2/2) 12', 24' Pen:O. Williams (2/2) 45', 52' |
| StoneX Stadium,London Attendance: 9,350 Referee:Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) |
| 2 April 2023 16:00 |
| Toulouse | 33–9 | Bulls |
| Try:Meafou 50' c Lebel 54' c Flament 64' c Con:Ramos (3/3) 51', 54', 65' Pen:Ramos (4/4) 7', 11', 17', 33' | Report | Pen:Smith (3/3) 2', 34', 44' |
| Stadium de Toulouse,Toulouse Attendance: 32,000 Referee:Matthew Carley (England) |
| 7 April 2023 20:00 |
| Leinster | 55–24 | Leicester Tigers |
| Try:Ringrose (2) 2' c, 17' c Gibson-Park 53' c Penalty try 59' Penny 62' c O'Brien 72' c McKee 78' c Con:R. Byrne (6/6) 2', 17', 54', 63', 73', 80' Pen:R. Byrne (2/2) 32', 51' | Report | Try:Watson 38' c Cracknell 68' c Potter 75' c Con:Pollard (3/3) 40', 69', 76' Pen:Pollard (1/1) 7' |
| Aviva Stadium,Dublin Attendance: 27,000 Referee:Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) |
| 8 April 2023 16:00 |
| Toulouse | 54–20 | Sharks |
| Try:Mallía (2) 37' m, 58' m Ramos (2) 47' c, 72' c Mauvaka 69' c Retière 76' c Ntamack 80' c Con:Ramos (5/7) 48', 70', 73', 77', 80+1' Pen:Ramos (3/3) 23', 32', 40+1' | Report | Try:Williams 27' c Chamberlain 55' c Con:Bosch (2/2) 28', 56' Pen:Bosch (2/3) 10', 67' |
| Stade Ernest-Wallon,Toulouse Attendance: 18,628 Referee:Karl Dickson (England) |
| 8 April 2023 17:30 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 42–17 | Stormers |
| Try:Wyatt 14' c Nowell 22' c Woodburn 30' c S. Simmonds 46' c Yeandle 74' c Cairns 79' c Con:J. Simmonds (6/6) 15', 22' 31', 47', 75', 80' | Report | Try:Willemse 52' m Hartzenberg 61' m Orie 77' c Con:Libbok (1/3) 77' |
| Sandy Park,Exeter Attendance: 12,007 Referee:Mathieu Raynal (France) |
| 9 April 2023 16:00 |
| La Rochelle | 24–10 | Saracens |
| Try:Kerr-Barlow (2) 33' c, 58' m Con:Hastoy (1/2) 34' Pen:Hastoy (4/5) 1', 4', 23', 68' | Report | Try:Mawi 65' c Con:Farrell (1/1) 65' Pen:Farrell (1/1) 21' |
| Stade Marcel-Deflandre,La Rochelle Attendance: 16,000 Referee:Andrew Brace (Ireland) |
Both semi-finals will be played in Europe and the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage has country advantage. If a South African team had been ranked higher, the game would still have been located in Europe.[15]
| 29 April 2023 15:00 |
| Leinster | 41–22 | Toulouse |
| Try:Conan (2) 16' c, 20' c Sheehan 26' c van der Flier 57' c Jenkins 63' c Con:R. Byrne (5/5) 18', 22', 27', 58', 64' Pen:R. Byrne (2/2) 4', 12' | Report | Try:Ahki 8' c Meafou 34' c Willis 80'+2 m Con:Ramos (2/3) 9', 34' Pen:Ramos (1/1) 55' |
| Aviva Stadium,Dublin Attendance: 46,823 Referee:Wayne Barnes (England) |
| 30 April 2023 16:00 |
| La Rochelle | 47–28 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Try:Rhule (2) 8' c, 43' c Seuteni 22' c Alldritt 31' m Kerr-Barlow (2) 38' c, 67' c Bourgarit 52' c Con:Hastoy (6/7) 10', 23', 39', 44', 54', 68' | Report | Try:S. Simmonds 5' c Iosefa-Scott 58' c Woodburn 69' c Yeandle 74' c Con:J. Simmonds (4/4) 6', 58', 70', 75' |
| Matmut Atlantique,Bordeaux Attendance: 41,204 Referee:Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
| 20 May 2023 16:45IST (UTC+01) |
| Leinster | 26–27 | La Rochelle |
| Try:Sheehan (2) 1' c, 11' m O'Brien 5' m Con:Byrne (1/3) 2' Pen:Byrne (3/3) 23', 30', 46' | Report | Try:Danty 19' c Seuteni 37' c Colombe 71' c Con:Hastoy (3/3) 20', 38', 72' Pen:Hastoy (2/2) 43', 49' |
| Aviva Stadium,Dublin Attendance: 51,711 Referee:Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined underWorld Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.
Most points[edit]
Source:[16]
| Most tries[edit]
Source:[16]
|
