The 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage will be the first stage of the 30th season of the pan-European professional club rugby union competition, and the eleventh under the European Rugby Champions Cup format. Twenty-four clubs from three major domestic and regional leagues competed over four rounds of pool fixtures, with 16 teams progressing to the knockout stages.
Structure
The pool stage draw took place on 2 July 2024.[1] The complete fixture list was then announced on 12 July 2024.[2] The fixtures will be played out across four weekends between 6 December 2024 and 19 January 2025.[3]
Teams play other teams in the same pool, except the other team from their own league, with two games at home and two away. The top four teams in each pool progress to the round of 16, whilst the teams ranked 5th progress to the knockout stages of the 2024–25 EPCR Challenge Cup.
Teams are awarded points based on match performances; four points for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.[4]
If two or more clubs in the same pool are equal on match points, their ranking will be determined as follows:
the best aggregate points difference from the pool stage; or
if equal, the number of tries scored in the pool stage; or
if equal, the club with the fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents in the pool stage; or
Source: EPCR[5] Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
Source: EPCR[6] Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
Source: EPCR[8] Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
Source: EPCR[10] Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
^Adamson replaced original appointed referee Chris Busby (Ireland) following reports of his retirement.
^The kick-off between Stade Français and Saracens was rescheduled from its original time of 15:15 to a new time of 13:00, to avoid logistical clashes with another live sporting event – a football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon – also taking place in Paris at the same time.[9]
^The kick-off between Toulon and Glasgow was rescheduled from its original time of 13:00 to a new time of 15:15, to avoid a television broadcasting overlap caused by the rescheduling of the fixture between Stade Français and Saracens.[9]
