Glasgow Warriors pitted against Owen Farrell and Danny Wilson in Champions Cup draw

Glasgow Warriors have been paired with their former coach Danny Wilson’s side Harlequins in the pool stage of the Investec Champions Cup.

The Warriors were one of the top seeds in the draw as a reward for winning the United Rugby Championship and it meant they avoided Euro giants Toulouse and Leinster as well as English champions Northampton Saints, who were the three other top seeds. But it’s still a tough draw for Franco Smith’s side who will face Quins, Sale Sharks, Racing 92 and Toulon in Pool 4.

The Stormers were also placed in Pool 4 but Glasgow will not meet them as they are in the same league. Each club will play four fixtures in the pool stage, two home and two away, with exact scheduling yet to be confirmed.

Glasgow and Harlequins met in the last 16 of last season’s Champions Cup, with Wilson’s Quins coming out on top 28-24 in a thrilling game at Twickenham Stoop. Wilson coached Glasgow from 2022 to 2024.

Harlequins went on to reach the semi-finals where they were beaten by Toulouse, the eventual winners. They also enjoyed a decent domestic season but missed out on the play-offs, finishing sixth in the Gallagher Premiership, with Marcus Smith pulling the strings at fly-half. They have never won the Champions Cup but are three-time winners of the second-tier Challenge Cup.

Glasgow’s other English opponents, Sale Sharks, finished third in the Premiership and lost in the play-off semi-finals to Bath at the Rec. Their squad includes wing Arron Reed and scrum-half Gus Warr who are both currently with Scotland in North America and could feature in the opening tour match against Canada on Saturday.

Glasgow met Toulon in the pool stage of last season’s Champions Cup and enjoyed a convincing 29-5 win over the French side at Scotstoun in January, with Kyle Rowe and Huw Jones each scoring two tries. Toulon, whose squad includes Scotland scrum-half Ben White, reached the Top 14 play-offs, losing to La Rochelle in the quarter-finals. They finished fourth in the league. Toulon won the Champions Cup three years in a row between 2013 and 2015 and also won the Challenge Cup in 2023.

Franco Smith and Kyle Steyn are pictured at the Glasgow Warriors homecoming event at Scotstoun Stadium after winning the United Rugby Championship Grand Final against Vodacom Bulls in South Africa. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Racing 92 finished sixth in the French top flight and also made the play-off quarter-finals where they were beaten by eventual finalists Bordeaux Bègles. The Paris-based club have never won European rugby’s top prize but lost in the final in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Last season was their first with former England coach Stuart Lancaster at the helm and they were knocked out of the Champions Cup at the last 16 stage by Toulouse.

Racing have added Owen Farrell to their squad for the new season, with the former England fly-half ending his long association with Saracens. The French club’s star-studded squad also includes South Africa’s World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi.

2024-25 Investec Champions Cup

Pool 1: Toulouse, Bordeaux, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers, Ulster.

Pool 2: Leinster, Clermont Auvergne, La Rochelle, Bristol Bears, Benetton, Bath.

Pool 3: Northampton Saints, Munster, Vodacom Bulls, Stade Français, Saracens, Castres.

Pool 4: Glasgow Warriors, Racing 92, Sale Sharks, DHL Stormers, RC Toulon, Harlequins.

Match dates

Round 1 – 6/7/8 December

Round 2 – 13/14/15 December

Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025

Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025

Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025

Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025

Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025

2025 Investec Champions Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Saturday 24 May