The Georgian club Black Lion and the Toyota Cheetahs of South Africa have accepted invitations from EPCR to participate in the next Challenge Cup season.
If the Cheetahs were already invited in 2022, losing in the round of 16 against eventual winner Toulon, it is the first time that a Georgian club has participated in a European Cup.
The Toyota Cheetahs, winners of the Currie Cup final last weekend, will face Oyonnax Rugby, Section Paloise, Cell C Sharks and Zebre Parma in Pool 1. we believe we have the ability to play at a higher level in the 2023/2024 edition,” said Ross van Reenen, franchise general manager.
For their ‘home’ games against European opponents, it was agreed that they would play in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Their group game against Cell C Sharks will take place either in Bloemfontein or Durban depending on the outcome of the ongoing fixture scheduling process.
Black Lion will be in Pool 3 and will face two former winners of the tournament, namely ASM Clermont Auvergne and Gloucester Rugby, as well as Castres Olympique and the Scarlets. His two home games will be played in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Georgian Rugby Federation President Ioseb Tkemaladze said: “This is a very important moment for Georgian rugby and for our country. We have all worked very hard for this – on the pitch and behind the scenes – for many years. We are grateful to EPCR for taking the lead and showing the vision needed to foster the development of rugby globally.”
