Worcester Warriors travel to Newcastle on Friday for the European Challenge Cup curtain-raiser. A modified format for the 2021/22 season will see 15 clubs with 10 European titles between them competing in three pools of five.
The clubs were allocated into three pools based on their rankings from last season’s leagues and the pool stage will be played over five rounds starting on the weekend of 11 December and finishing on the weekend of 10 April.
A Round of 16 will be played on the weekend of 16 April 2022, followed by quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille on 27 May 2022.
Clubs will only play against opponents from their own pool, and one club in each pool will have a bye during each round.
The three highest-ranked clubs from each pool, and the highest-ranked fourth-placed club, as well as the three clubs ranked 9 to 11 from each of the Heineken Champions Cup pools, will qualify for the Round of 16.
A live stream for Friday’s match against Newcastle is available to purchase for €4.99 from epcrugby.tv
Worcester Warriors European fixtures
Newcastle vs Warriors | Fri 10 Dec – 7.45pm
Warriors vs Biarritz | Sat 18 Dec – 3.15pm
Warriors vs Toulon | Sat 15 Jan – 5:30pm
Zebre vs Warriors | Sat 22 Jan – 3.15pm
Bye week – 10 April 2022
🗣 "It's not a cup we think less of, it's a chance for silverware."@alex_hearle looks ahead to round one of the @ChallengeCup_ in Newcastle on Friday 🎯 pic.twitter.com/iOkcpYcEFr
— Worcester Warriors (@WorcsWarriors) December 8, 2021