Heineken Champions Cup pool draw: Holders La Rochelle to play four-time winners Leinster in rematch of last year’s final

In a departure from last season’s set up, 24 teams from England, France, Ireland, Wales and South Africa have been placed into four pools, each containing six club sides.

The four highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the Round of 16 and the clubs ranked number five in each of the pools will qualify for the knockout stage of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

South African giants DHL Stormers and Stade Francais complete Pool 4.

Three-time winners Saracens are the top ranked side in Pool 1, with Bordeaux-Begles, Connacht, Lyon and Premiership rivals Bristol Bears completing the six-team line up.

Harlequins join Bath in Pool 2, with the West Country giants making their return to Heineken Cup rugby after a season away.

Record winners Toulouse join Quins and Bath in Pool 2 alongside French three-time runners-up Racing, Ulster and Cardiff.

Pool 3 sees Challenge Cup winners Toulon return to the top table of European rugby.

Three-time winners of the Heineken Champions Cup between 2012 and 2015, Toulon will face Munster, Glasgow Warriors, Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints – with Top 14 rivals Bayonne completing the group.

New tournament rules means no two teams from the same country can play each other, with sides scheduled to face four different opponents home or away.

Both the Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup will be played over eight weekends with four pool stage rounds and four knockout stage rounds culminating in the London 2024 finals, which will be staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next May.