Georgian club kick off historic Challenge Cup season against Gloucester

Dylan Coetzee

13 Jul 2023 5:35 AM

Challenge Cup branding on a pristine field ahead of a clash.

Black Lion from Georgia will begin their historic campaign in the Challenge Cup against Gloucester at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on December 9.

The fixture will be groundbreaking for Georgian rugby as Black Lion becomes the first club from the country to participate in European competition.

The Georgians will be away from home for the next two rounds with trips to Scarlets and Castres before returning home to finish their pool stage against Clermont Auvergne.

Meanwhile, South African side, the Sharks, will be home in rounds one and three against Pau and Oyonnax, respectively. Round two will see them face up against local rivals the Cheetahs, who are the second invited club to the Challenge Cup alongside Black Lion. The Durbanites finish their pool stage with a trip to face the Dragons in Wales.

Previous winners of the Challenge Cup, Montpellier, kick off their campaign against Newcastle in England before hosting the Ospreys and Lions before a trip to Italy to face Benetton in their final pool stage clash.

Structure

The Challenge Cup consists of 18 clubs that are split into pools of six. There are four rounds of action in the pool stage and four rounds of knockout rugby until a winner is determined.

This year’s final will be played at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London.