Cardiff to make it a trio of regions in Europe’s top tier

WALES will have three teams in next season’s Champions Cup, with Cardiff Rugby joining the Ospreys and Scarlets in Europe’s top-tier competition.

Cardiff have been waiting on tenterhooks to see if a fourth place finish in their PRO14 Conference would be enough to gain them entry into the elite event.

Now it’s been confirmed that Dai Young’s team will be on board.

Organisers EPCR have announced the Champions Cup will be staying as a 24-team tournament for next term, with eight representatives from each of the Gallagher Premiership, TOP 14 and Guinness PRO14.

There had been speculation that two of the four South African sides might be included in the teams entered by the PRO14, ahead of them joining an expanded PRO16 next season.

That would have been bad news for Cardiff and Glasgow who finished fourth in their respective conferences. But now it’s been confirmed that they will both be involved in the Champions Cup.

A leading PRO14 official has told WalesOnline that the eight highestranked teams from the 16-round league season will be the teams to progress to Europe’s elite tournament.

That means Leinster, Ulster, Ospreys and Glasgow from Conference A and Munster, Connacht, Scarlets and Cardiff from Conference B.

It’s news that will come as a big relief to everyone at the Arms Park and supporters of the club.

They can now look forward to matches against some of Europe’s big guns as they return to the topflight competition.

As for the four South African sides – the Sharks, Stormers, Bulls and Lions – it’s understood moves may be made to accommodate them in the second-tier Challenge Cup, which the Dragons will take part in.

Meanwhile, it’s been announced that Twickenham will host this season’s European cup finals, with up to 10,000 spectators able to attend each game.

The Challenge Cup decider will be on Friday, May 21 at 8pm and the Heineken Champions Cup final will kick-off at 4.45pm on Saturday, 22 May.

The finals were originally due to be staged in Marseille, but that plan was scrapped due to the uncertainties created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This weekend sees the semi-finals in both competitions.