The four Welsh sides have discovered their fate after the draws for the European competitions.
The Ospreys are Wales' sole representative in the Champions Cup after sneaking past the Scarlets on the final weekend of the season, with the other three playing in the Challenge Cup. The convoluted draw see sides in both competitions drawn into one of two pools, A and B, but pool stage fixtures will take place against just two other clubs.
In terms of ideal draws, the Ospreys was as far away from that as possible. Drawn into Tier 4 of Pool B, they will face Premiership champions Leicester Tigers and Top14 winners Montpellier home and away.
Read more: South Africa name formidable team to face Wales despite missing influential fly-half
In the Challenge Cup, the Scarlets, drawn as one of three Tier 1 clubs in Pool B, have the Cheetahs and Bayonne, with the South African sides appearing in Europe for the first time. It has already been confirmed that the Scarlets' away game against the Cheetahs will be played in Europe.
Speaking about the draw, Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: “It is an exciting draw for us. Bayonne have been promoted back to the Top14 and anyone who saw the celebrations after their play-off win shows how passionate a rugby city it is.
“We know a bit about the Cheetahs after their time in the PRO14 and we also know from recent experience of playing South African sides in the URC that the games are going to be tough and they are going to be physical.
“We were frustrated with how Europe panned out for us last season with Covid having a major impact on our campaign. We are looking forward to making a mark in the Challenge Cup.”
Cardiff were drawn into Pool A in the second tier competition. Drawn as one of the Tier 2 clubs, the Arms Park side will take on Brive and Newcastle Falcons. The newly-rebranded Dragons RFC were drawn into Pool B as Tier 3 side, meaning they will face Wasps and Pau.
The 2022/23 season will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December, followed by a knockout stage consisting of a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, culminating in the Dublin finals at the Aviva Stadium on 19 and 20 May 2023. The dates and kick-off times for the matches will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup draw
POOL A (opponents in brackets)
Castres Olympique (Exeter Chiefs, Edinburgh Rugby)
Saracens (Lyon, Edinburgh Rugby)
Bulls (Lyon, Exeter Chiefs)
Union Bordeaux-Bègles (Gloucester Rugby, Sharks)
Harlequins (Racing 92, Sharks)
Leinster Rugby (Racing 92, Gloucester Rugby)
Racing 92 (Harlequins, Leinster Rugby)
Gloucester Rugby (Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Leinster Rugby)
Sharks (Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Harlequins)
Lyon (Saracens, Bulls)
Exeter Chiefs (Castres Olympique, Bulls)
Edinburgh Rugby (Castres Olympique, Saracens)
POOL B (opponents in brackets)
Montpellier Hérault Rugby (London Irish, Ospreys)
Leicester Tigers (ASM Clermont Auvergne, Ospreys)
Stormers (ASM Clermont Auvergne, London Irish)
Stade Toulousain (Sale Sharks, Munster Rugby)
Northampton Saints (Stade Rochelais, Munster Rugby)
Ulster Rugby (Stade Rochelais, Sale Sharks)
Stade Rochelais (Northampton Saints, Ulster Rugby)
Sale Sharks (Stade Toulousain, Ulster Rugby)
Munster Rugby (Stade Toulousain, Northampton Saints)
ASM Clermont Auvergne (Leicester Tigers, Stormers)
London Irish (Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Stormers)
Ospreys (Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Leicester Tigers)
2022/23 EPCR Challenge Cup draw
POOL A (opponents in brackets)
Glasgow Warriors (USAP, Bath Rugby)
RC Toulon (Zebre Parma, Bath Rugby)
Bristol Bears (Zebre Parma, USAP)
Connacht Rugby (CA Brive, Newcastle Falcons)
Cardiff Rugby (CA Brive, Newcastle Falcons)
CA Brive (Connacht Rugby, Cardiff Rugby)
Newcastle Falcons (Connacht Rugby, Cardiff Rugby)
USAP (Bristol Bears, Glasgow Warriors)
Zebre Parma (Bristol Bears, RC Toulon)
Bath Rugby (RC Toulon, Glasgow Warriors)
POOL B (opponents in brackets)
Scarlets (Aviron Bayonnais, Cheetahs)
Section Paloise (Dragons RFC, Cheetahs)
Wasps (Dragons RFC, Aviron Bayonnais)
Lions (Stade Francais Paris, Worcester Warriors)
Benetton Rugby (Stade Francais Paris, Worcester Warriors)
Stade Francais Paris (Lions, Benetton Rugby)
Worcester Warriors (Lions, Benetton Rugby)
Dragons RFC (Section Paloise, Wasps)
Aviron Bayonnais (Scarlets, Wasps)
Cheetahs (Scarlets, Section Paloise)
Fixture Dates
Round 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022
Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022
Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023
Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023
Round of 16 – 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023
Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023
Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023
EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 19 May 2023 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 20 May 2023 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
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