French clubs plan to boycott the 2020/21 Champions Cup - report

French clubs plan to boycott the 2020/21 Champions Cup - report

French clubs could boycott the next European Cup.

According to a report in French rugby newspaper Midi OlympiqueFrench sides are considering a boycott of next season's Champions Cup if they are not allowed to have 8 teams in the tournament rather than their usual six.

This comes after the TOP14's governing body decided to abounded the current season due to the global pandemic with no champions or relegation taking place. This has also seen the prospect of the competition increasing to 16 teams next season rather than 14. However, with the season called off, the qualification for the Champions Cup next season has come into question. 

 

One of the suggestions put forward was to see the top four teams when the season was called off qualifying for the Champions Cup next season with Bordeaux, Lyon, Racing and Toulon all qualifying automatically with a barrage to settle the final two places. This would see La Rochelle and Montpellier clash for one of the places with Clermont and Toulouse battling it out for the 6th and final place. 


However, some of the clubs are opposed to this idea according to Midi Olympique with LNR (the governing body of the TOP14), now requesting that France have eight represented in the Champions Cup next season. This is down to the fact that one of pool 3 and Pool 5 table-toppers in the Champions Cup this season Clermont and Toulouse would miss out on Europe next season.

To date, the PRO14 and the Premiership clubs have not accepted the French proposal. While the clubs still don't know when the quarterfinals of this season will be played.


One way this could be rectified is if Clermont or Toulouse manage to win the competition and claim further spots in the Champions Cup.

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