The 29th edition of the European Champions Cup begins on Friday, with teams from England, France, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales eyeing glory.
Changes to the structure for this season's competition mean there are four pools of six teams, with four sides from each qualifying for the last 16 and a fifth dropping into the Challenge Cup.
Leinster are among the favourites, as are the side who beat them in the last two finals, La Rochelle. Star-studded Toulouse are also fancied, although their hopes of winning a record-extending sixth title could depend on whether some of their key players are either injury-free or available to feature due to other commitments.
English champions Saracens may place further emphasis on the tournament as they look to return to the top of the continental tree, while last season's URC heroes Munster are also getting better all the time and the South Africans could also have their say.
- Leinster to win the trophy
- La Rochelle to reach the final
- A South African side to reach the semi-finals
Change Of Coach The Tonic For Leinster
Rassie Erasmus was happy to grab the headlines during South Africa's successful Rugby World Cup defence, and that may have been a deliberate ploy to allow his coaching ally Jacques Nienaber space to focus on strategy.
Nienaber has since joined Leinster, replacing Stuart Lancaster as the province's Senior Coach. Lancaster brought style to Leinster's play, and they are undoubtedly the most technically advanced side on the continent, but Nienaber's steely know-how might give them something they have lacked.
Sunday's rematch against La Rochelle is his first big challenge and the French club's brawn may allow them to seal another win. However, Leinster have a history of blowing teams away in the autumn and winter before failing to pick up silverware in the late spring.
Neinaber's fresh approach could be exactly what is required to see them draw level with Toulouse on five titles.
La Rochelle Contenders For Three-In-A-Row
Only one team has ever won the Champions Cup three times in a row. Leinster and Saracens have lifted the trophy three times in four years but last season's Challenge Cup winners, Toulon, are the sole side to complete a hat-trick.
La Rochelle will look to buck that trend and have become a real force in a short space of time, losing the 2021 final to Toulouse before beating Leinster in 2022 and 2023.
They are something of an anomaly in European team sports in that they have claimed continental glory but never topped the standings domestically.
Like Nienaber and the Springboks, La Rochelle prioritise physicality and similar to the Boks, opposition teams are aware of what's coming but rarely know how to stop it. However, a three-peat could prove a step too far and Nienaber's nous might be their undoing.
LA ROCHELLE TO REACH THE FINAL
South African Sides Could Go Well
Sharks and Stormers made the quarter-finals last season in the inaugural campaign to include teams from South Africa. The former failed to qualify for this edition but the Stormers are back and joined by Bulls, who lost to Toulouse in last season's round of 16.
Travelling back and forth to Europe can be a curse for teams from the Rainbow Nation and they are clearly still adapting. However, it can also be a blessing if the draw works out, with opponents having a short turnaround to acclimatise.
That could work for Bulls against Saracens on Saturday, with the English champions also required to change their game to allow them to perform at altitude.
Stormers are poor on the road, losing four straight away games in November and they might struggle against Leicester in their first match. They are a different proposition in Cape Town and may benefit from teams rotating for their trips to South Africa, which is often a feature in the URC.
With the country's rugby riding the wave of their national team's successes, a South Afruican side reaching the semi-finals is a genuine possibility if the draw works out kindly.
A SOUTH AFRICAN SIDE TO REACH THE SEMI-FINALS
