The Toyota Free State Cheetahs are one step closer to playing international rugby again. The pool draw for the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Challenge Cup in which the Cheetahs will be playing takes place in Dublin, Ireland tomorrow at 13:00 (SA time) 28 June 2022.

The draw to determine pools A and B with ten teams each will be live-streamed on ChallengeCuprugby.com. The final dates of the tournament and match roster will be announced after the draw, but date blocks are given on the EPCR website: https://www.epcrugby.com/2022/06/13/2022-23-epcr-tournament-formats-and-qualifiers-confirmed/. (EPCR is the organiser of the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. In addition to other qualifying teams, the winner of the EPCR Challenge Cup will play in the Heineken Champions Cup.)

In the upcoming EPCR Challenge Cup rounds, one and two will be played in December 2022, rounds three and four in January 2023, round of 16 in March/April 2023, quarter and semi-finals in April and the final on 19 May 2023 in Dublin, Ireland. The Cheetahs team will be based in Parma, Italy for the competition. The invitation to the Cheetahs to compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup comes after they were excluded from the PRO14 series which became the United Rugby Challenge (URC) in the 2021/22 season

The Toyota Cheetahs have been invited to play in the 2022/23 EPCR Challenge Cup together with 19 clubs which have qualified from the United Rugby Championship (URC), TOP 14 and Gallagher Premiership. The participants qualify on merit and performance in their respective domestic leagues.

The URC qualifiers are Glasgow Warriors, Scarlets, Connacht Rugby, Lions, Benetton Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Dragons and Zebre Parma.

TOP14 qualifiers are RC Toulon, Selection Paloise, Stade Français Paris, CA Brive, USAP and Aviron Bayonnais.

Gallagher Premiership qualifiers are Wasps, Bristol Bears, Worcester Warriors, Newcastle Falcons and Bath Rugby.

Established in 2014 with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, EPCR has the following shareholders: Federation Francaise de Rugby (FFR), Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), PRO Rugby Championship DAC (URC), Rugby Football Union (RFU), Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and Premiership Rugby (PRL).