2026 Castres Olympique vs Bath Rugby

Pool 2 Preview: Table Toppers Bath Rugby, Castres Face Off In Champions Cup

Pool 2 Preview: Table Toppers Bath Rugby, Castres Face Off In Champions Cup

Pool 2 heats up in Round 3 of the Investec Champions Cup, with Castres vs. Bath, Edinburgh vs. Gloucester and Toulon hosting Munster.

Jan 7, 2026 by Amelia Engstrom
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Pool 2 remains finely balanced heading into Round 3, with every fixture carrying real implications for qualification. 

At Stade Pierre-Fabre, Castres Olympique hosts table-topping Bath Rugby in a matchup separated by just one point. 

Castres rebounded emphatically from a heavy opening loss in Europe by dismantling Edinburgh 33-0, reminding everyone how dangerous the team can be at home, despite a recent Top 14 setback against Stade Français. 

Bath arrives with confidence after edging Exeter in the Premiership and remains unbeaten domestically, though a thrilling loss to Toulouse in Round 2 showed Bath's defensive limits under pressure.

Edinburgh Rugby faces Gloucester knowing consistency has been elusive. 

Edinburgh scraped past Benetton last time out but was humbled by Castres in Europe, while Gloucester arrives with the psychological edge, having won the last two meetings between the sides. Both teams desperately need points to stay in the hunt.

The round concludes with a heavyweight clash in Toulon, where both Toulon and Munster are seeking stability. 

Each side has split Champions Cup results and struggled for form domestically, but with contrasting results against Bath earlier in the pool, this matchup could define their European trajectory.

How To Watch The Investec Champions Cup 2025-2026

Stream all Champions Cup games, live and archived, on FloRugby and the FloSports app. 

Investec Champions Cup Round 3 

Friday, Jan. 9

  • 3 p.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Bath Rugby, Stade Pierre-Fabre
  • 3 p.m. ET: Edinburgh Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, TBD

Saturday, Jan. 10

  • 8 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bristol Bears, Loftus Versfeld
  • 10:15 a.m. ET: Clermont Auvergne vs. Glasgow Warriors, Stade Marcel-Michelin
  • 12:30 p.m. ET: Leinster Rugby vs. La Rochelle, TBD
  • 12:30 p.m. ET: Sale Sharks vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Salford Community Stadium
  • 3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Pau, Parc y Scarlets
  • 3 p.m. ET: Leicester Tigers vs. Bayonne, Mattioli Woods Welford Road

Sunday, Jan. 11

  • 8 a.m. ET: Harlequins vs. DHL Stormers, Twickenham Stoop
  • 8 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Munster Rugby, Stade Félix Mayol
  • 10:15 a.m. ET: Bordeaux-Bègles vs. Northampton Saints, Stade Chaban-Delmas
  • 12:30 p.m. ET: Saracens vs. Toulouse, StoneX Stadium

Investec Champions Cup Pool 2 Fixtures

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. 7–9 (TBD): Edinburgh Rugby vs. Toulon, TBD

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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