Currie Cup champion Cheetahs confirmed for another season in Challenge Cup

The Cheetahs return for a second season, having reached the knockout stages of the 2022/23 campaign, while the Black Lion become the first Georgian club to compete in one of EPCR's main professional tournaments.

The Cheetahs have been added to Pool 1, where they will face Oyonnax Rugby, Section Paloise, Sharks and Zebre Parma. The Currie Cup champions have agreed to use Amsterdam in the Netherlands as their 'home base' when facing European opponents.

However, their pool stage match against the Sharks will be played in either Bloemfontein or Durban, depending on the outcome of the current fixture scheduling process.

Meanwhile, the Black Lion make their historic tournament debut in Pool 3, where they will take on two former tournament winners in Gloucester and Clermont Auvergne, as well as Castres and Scarlets, with their two home matches staged in Tbilisi.

EPCR Chairman Dominic McKay said: "The inclusion of Black Lion and the return of the Toyota Cheetahs reflect a continuing commitment to widen the scope of our tournaments and to showcase new, exciting talent for fans worldwide.

"The Toyota Cheetahs have already enhanced the EPCR Challenge Cup with their performance last season, and we are confident that the Georgians' passion and physicality will further raise the intensity of the tournament."

Georgian Rugby Union President, Ioseb Tkemaladze, said: "This is a hugely important moment for Georgian rugby and for the country. We've all been working hard for this - on the pitch and behind the scenes - for many years.

"We're grateful to EPCR for taking a lead and showing the vision that is needed to further the global development and growth of the game. My personal gratitude to Dominic McKay and his amazing team for their hard work and support."

EPCR also confirmed that Israel's Tel Aviv Heat produced an "impressive application" to join the competition, but the Cheetahs and Black Lion were offered invitations following a detailed and competitive tender process. The statement added that EPCR will continue to engage with Rugby Europe to discuss future plans.