Northampton and Bath face formidable challenges in the upcoming Champions Cup, having been drawn into a competitive Pool Four alongside the Pretoria-based Bulls and Top 14 runners-up Montpellier.

The Bulls recently fell short in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final against Leinster in June, while Montpellier narrowly missed out on glory, losing to Toulouse in France's prestigious league final.

Completing the tough lineup in Pool Four are Stade Francais, who reached the Top 14 semi-finals, and Cardiff, the top-ranked Welsh side in the URC.

In other pools:

• Bristol faces Gloucester and Munster in Pool Three, along with a rematch against defending champions Bordeaux-Begles, who previously edged them out at Ashton Gate in January.
• Leinster will take on Leicester, Sale, and Glasgow in Pool One.
• Toulouse, fresh off their fourth consecutive French title, will challenge Saracens, Exeter, and Connacht in Pool Two.

In the second-tier Challenge Cup, Harlequins are set to compete against three-time Champions Cup winners Toulon, as well as Edinburgh and Ospreys. Newcastle joins Scarlets, Benetton, and Sharks in Pool Two, while Ulster faces Bayonne, Perpignan, and Dragons in Pool Three.

The fixture list, which could provide crucial home advantages, will be revealed later this month. Each team will play four matches in the pool stages, with the top three from each pool advancing to the knockout phase. The Champions Cup will kick off with pool-stage games scheduled for the weekend of 16-18 October, culminating in finals weekend in Lyon in May.