O’Connell to make swift return as Leinster meet Toulon

All roads lead to Lyon. The 60,000-capacity Grand Stade de Lyon has been announced as the venue for both the European Challenge Cup final on May 13th next year and the Champions Cup decider the following day. But some journeys will be more fraught than others.

Pool five in the Champions Cup is bursting at the seams with European royalty: between them, defending champions Toulon, Leinster, Wasps and Bath have won this competition nine times.

Wasps' coach Dai Young demonstrated a nice touch of gallows humour. "We're pretty lucky really," he said, "because we could've got a tough group."

Incestuous

It’s a pretty incestuous grouping. Leinster faced all of these sides in the competition last season, meeting Wasps in the group, Bath in the quarter-finals and Toulon in the semis. The year previous it was Toulon in the quarters.

Anyone who suggests that the French giants can't win a fourth successive European Cup might like to check out their summer signings, topped by Ireland's captain Paul O'Connell: there's also Duane Vermeulen, Samu Manoa, Ma'a Nonu, Quade Cooper and Jonathan Pélissié to name but a few.

Jimmy Gopperth makes a speedy return to the RDS, albeit in the colours of Wasps, and I'm not sure the Leinster faithful would like to be serenading him with the Donegal anthem, "Jimmy's winning matches".

Leinster captain Jamie Heaslip said of the draw: "I was glued to the laptop. We are due back for pre-season two weeks today and the thoughts of Toulon, Bath and Wasps will focus the minds on the work ahead for all of the lads and the schedule that the coaches have set out for us.

“There will obviously be hype around Paulie and his return to these shores to take on an Irish club, but leaving him aside, Toulon are a formidable outfit and have recruited really well once again.”

It’s hard to see two teams emerging from this pool.

Munster find themselves alongside French champions Stade Francais, perennial foes the Leicester Tigers, the first side to win a European match in Thomond Park, and Benetton Treviso. Ulster must negotiate a passage past Aviva Premiership winners, Saracens, Toulouse and another French debutants Oyonnax.

Munster and Ulster have a little bit of wriggle room with the presence of Treviso and Oyonnax in their pools.

It doesn’t make it easy, just easier.

"There's quality right across our pool again next season," said Munster coach Anthony Foley.

“We now have to prepare for the reigning Top 14 champions, Stade Francais. Leicester Tigers are a team that we know well and with whom we’ve shared some big occasions.

“Last season, Thomond Park wasn’t quite the fortress our fans had become accustomed to, so that will serve as a good motivation for us to put that right. Not getting out of our pool was tough to take and we don’t want to be in that position again.”

Former Ulster and Ireland centre and current director of rugby at Saracens Mark McCall will once again oppose his native province, this time though with the title of reigning Aviva Premiership champions. The English club has been something of a bogey team for Ulster.

Atmosphere

“I’ve been back to Ulster twice in the knockout stages and we’ve won both games and I know it is going to be an incredible atmosphere at the Kingspan Stadium with the developments they’ve made there,” said McCall.

"Toulouse have a very settled side, but will have a new coaching team. It will be interesting to see how they go without Guy Noves at the helm. We have learned you have to fight for every point in this competition."

The tournament organisers also confirmed that the 2017 Champions Cup final would be staged at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, with no venue yet decided for the European Challenge Cup final.