By Steffan Thomas
Glenn Delaney admits it feels like groundhog day after the Scarlets were drawn in the same European pool as Toulon for the fourth season in a row.
The Scarlets will have faced the three-time European champions seven times in a four season spell and recently lost a Challenge Cup quarter-final in Toulon.
The west Walians will also face Bath in a revamped Heineken Champions Cup competition which has been reduced from six to four matches per team in December and January.
Scarlets and Toulon have met every year since 2014
— Russ Petty (@rpetty80) October 28, 2020
“Gee whiz, it’s almost like Groundhog Day isn’t it?,” said Delaney.
“We know these guys really well, we’ve played a lot of European rugby against them and we’ve just had a quarter-final against them.
“They’re a wonderful adversary and I think both clubs enjoy playing each other, two passionate sets of supporters, both in red, so we’re really excited and happy about that.
“Bath are a team with a new coaching group, guys I know really well.
“They are a set-piece orientated team, who like to get their scrum and power going.
“Those foundations are well set for them and the Rec is one of the greatest grounds to go in the competition. We look forward to seeing them.”
Due to the covid-19 pandemic the 2020-21 Champions Cup season will feature 24 teams with home and away quarter-finals for the first time.
The 24 teams will be split into two pools of 12, with eight teams from the Premiership, Pro14 and Top 14.
There will be four rounds of pool matches, with no teams from the same league playing each other.
The Dragons are back in the top tier of European rugby for the first time in nine years with Dean Ryan’s side facing Wasps and Bordeaux-Begles.
“It’s fantastic and it’s going to be a great experience,” said Ryan.
“When we were looking at the permutations there were some pretty high standard options available to us. We’re just really excited to be at this level of the tournament.
“Bordeaux will be fantastic and we have some links back there with Naz (Luke Narraway) who coached there.
“I have plenty of links with Wasps and it will be great to go up against a side that have been on a fantastic trajectory over the last three or four months under Lee Blackett.
“It feels more real knowing who we will face and I don’t think we have ever not understood what the challenge will be.
“Now it feels more real and we can’t wait to get started and enjoy the cup.”