Bath, Munster, Toulon, Then Who? | Investec Champions Cup Pool 2 Preview
Bath, Munster, Toulon, Then Who? | Investec Champions Cup Pool 2 Preview
Pool 2 features Bath, Munster, Toulon, Castres, Edinburgh and Gloucester battling for four Round of 16 spots. Here’s how every team stacks up in 2025–2026.
Pool 2 of the Investec Champions Cup certainly is top-heavy, with the Gallagher PREM leaders and defending champions leading the way, along with the No. 3 club in the United Rugby Championship and the No. 3 club in the Top 14.
After that, the race for the No. 4 spot in the playoffs could be the most fascinating of the competition.
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Bath Rugby, Munster Rugby and Toulon are the clear favorites to win the pool, with Bath and Munster playing in Round 1. All three will play a mini round-robin that likely will decide the pecking order of the pool.
“I could see Bath beating Munster in Round 1, but then I think Munster can win the rest of them,” Bendon said. “I think they can win away in Toulon.”
But one of the other three clubs — Castres, Edinburgh Rugby or Gloucester Rugby — will reach the Round of 16 as well, meaning the round-robin between those clubs will be just as compelling.
“I believe you’re going to have Munster, Bath and Toulon as the three locked and loaded, and then the shootout for that last (spot),” Bendon said.
He added that Castres will be the fourth team coming out of the group.
“Because it’s so hard to win down there,” Bendon said of Castres.
A Glance At Each Investec Champions Cup Club In Pool 2
Bath Rugby (5-0-1 in Gallagher PREM, 1st)
The only competition Bath has been in that it hasn't won in the last 12 months was the Champions Cup.
Bath failed to make the Round of 16 last season but dominated the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs and beat Lyon the day before the final was played.
Gloucester Rugby (1-0-5 in Gallagher PREM, 9th)
It has been a tough season for Gloucester, which enters the competition tied for the worst odds at +8000 to win it all.
Munster Rugby (5-0-1 in URC, 3rd)
Munster suffered its first loss of the season just before Champions Cup play when the DHL Stormers beat the Irish side in Thomond Park in Limerick, Ireland. Before that, Munster — with new coach Clayton McMillan — was rolling and had even beaten Leinster at Croke Park in Dublin.
Edinburgh Rugby (2-0-3 in URC, 10th)
In a strange season that was disrupted by Storm Amy earlier this fall, Edinburgh barely survived a match at home against the Ospreys in Round 6 of the URC, but the club should be close to full-strength now, several weeks removed from the end of the Scottish international season.
Toulon (7-0-4 in Top 14, 3rd)
Toulon has held firm at home in the Top 14 but, like most clubs, has found it hard to win on the road. How wild have the swings been? On Nov. 23, Toulon lost in Paris to Stade Français 51-24 but came back to blast Montauban at home, 54-28.
Castres Olympique (6-0-5 in Top 14, 8th)
Don’t let the eighth-place spot fool you — a 6-0-5 record in the Top 14 is not shabby.
Castres scored a massive road win at La Rochelle on Nov. 22, 19-17, showing that not only is it one of the best home sides in the world, Castres also is capable of winning on the road.
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Investec Champions Cup Pool 2
Round 1
- Saturday, Dec. 6 – 3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Munster Rugby, The Rec
- Sunday, Dec. 7 – 10:15 a.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, Kingsholm
- Dec. 7-- 12:30 p.m. ET: Edinburgh Rugby vs. Toulon, Hive Stadium
Round 2
- Saturday, Dec. 13 – 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
- Sunday, Dec. 14 – 8 a.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Edinburgh Rugby, Stade Pierre-Fabre
- Sunday, Dec. 14 – 10:15 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Bath Rugby, Stade Félix Mayol
Round 3
- Friday, Jan. 9 – 3 p.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Bath Rugby, Stade Pierre-Fabre
- Friday, Jan. 9 – 3 p.m. ET: Edinburgh Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, TBD
- Sunday, Jan. 11 – 8 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Munster Rugby, Stade Félix Mayol
Round 4
- Friday, Jan. 16 – 3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby, The Rec
- Saturday, Jan. 17 – 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, Thomond Park
- Saturday, Jan. 17 – 3 p.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon, Kingsholm
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