Rugby Bristol to play Clermont and Connacht in cup

BRISTOL Bears will face Clermont Auvergne and Connacht in the pool stage of the 2020-21 Heineken Champions Cup.

Pat Lam’s men have been drawn in Pool B and will face French and Irish opposition home and away in the previously announced new tournament format, which sees 24 clubs made up of eight representatives from each of the Gallagher Premiership, the Guinness PRO14 and the Top 14 drawn into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B. It is the club’s first appearance in the competition for 13 years. Pool A (with opponents in brackets): Bordeaux-Bègles (Dragons, Northampton Saints); Leinster Rugby (Montpellier, Northampton Saints); Wasps (Dragons, Montpellier); Bath Rugby (La Rochelle, Scarlets); Edinburgh Rugby (La Rochelle, Sale Sharks); RC Toulon (Sale Sharks, Scarlets); La Rochelle (Bath Rugby, Edinburgh Rugby); Sale Sharks (Edinburgh Rugby, RC Toulon); Scarlets (Bath Rugby, RC Toulon); Dragons (Bordeaux-Bègles, Wasps); Montpellier (Leinster Rugby, Wasps); Northampton Saints (BordeauxBegles, Leinster Rugby).

Pool B (with opponents in brackets): Exeter Chiefs (Glasgow Warriors, Toulouse); Lyon (Glasgow Warriors,

Gloucester Rugby); Ulster Rugby (Gloucester Rugby, Toulouse); Bristol Bears (ASM Clermont Auvergne, Connacht Rugby); Munster Rugby (ASM Clermont Auvergne, Harlequins); Racing 92 (Connacht Rugby, Harlequins); ASM Clermont Auvergne (Bristol Bears, Munster Rugby); Connacht Rugby (Bristol Bears, Racing 92); Harlequins (Munster Rugby, Racing 92); Glasgow Warriors (Exeter Chiefs, Lyon); Gloucester Rugby (Lyon, Ulster); Toulouse (Exeter Chiefs, Ulster Rugby).