Premier Sports is the place to watch Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup

With just one month to go until opening night of a new season of international club rugby, lead UK and Ireland broadcaster for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, Premier Sports, has announced its TV team for the competitions.

It’s rugby on another level for Premier Sports with 14 of rugby’s most popular and experienced former international stars bringing the latest analysis, insight and colour to the pinnacle competition in club rugby, which will celebrate a historic 30th season in 2024/25.

With a total of 935 international caps between them, it’s a who’s who of UK and Ireland rugby greats lining up for this season’s Premier Sports coverage of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to showcase all 63 Champions Cup games live and exclusively on Premier Sports.

Premier Sports’ talent line-up

Pundits: Lawrence Dallaglio, Simon Zebo, Chris Robshaw, Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt, Stephen Ferris, Topsy Ojo, Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney, Andy Goode, Ian Madigan, John Barclay, Matt Banahan, Tom Shanklin, Chris Paterson, Ryan Wilson and Shane Williams

Commentators: Martin Gillingham, Nick Heath, Miles Harrison, Ryle Nugent, Connor Morris, Jamie Lyall, Simon Ward, Rory Hamilton and Dave Rogers

Presenters: Martyn Bayfield, Ross Harries, Graham Little

Reporters: Claire Thomas, Jenny Drummond, Paul Marshall

The action all kicks off live on Premier Sports on Friday 6 December with opening night bringing two huge games in two of the best-known hotspots for European rugby traditions and atmosphere as Bath Rugby take on La Rochelle at The Rec in the Champions Cup and Gloucester host Edinburgh at Kingsholm Stadium in the Challenge Cup.

Premier Sports is the new lead broadcaster of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup in the UK and Ireland for the next three years of the competitions until 2026/7 and will cover all 63 Investec Champions Cup matches, as well as two EPCR Challenge Cup pool matches per round, two EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16, and all matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

In addition, Premier Sports will launch a 24/7 rugby channel in early 2025 at the very heart of which will sit the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup which will be available on Premier Sports streaming service as well as Virgin, Amazon and Sky.

Premier Sports has become a major operator in the rugby landscape, as the lead UK broadcaster for TOP14 and BKT United Rugby Championship (URC). In its six-year partnership with URC to date, Premier Sports has hosted more than 900 live rugby fixtures showing every game live including the Grand Final.

Premier Sports comprehensive rugby coverage runs alongside other sports and leagues including rights to LALIGA, Scottish Football, Copa Italia, DFB Pokal, NHL and NASCAR.

Mickey O’Rourke, founding Managing Director of Premier Sports said: “We are really delighted and excited to welcome such well-known and respected English rugby greats into the Premier Sport team bringing the very best analysis, insight and energy into our live coverage of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.

“This is international club rugby’s most high profile competition featuring some of the world’s biggest clubs and our aim is to mirror the pride, passion, tradition and excitement that supporters show every season by bringing fans closer to the action and the game’s star players.

“Our exciting new TV partnership with EPCR and the marquee offering of all 63 Investec Champions Cup games live in the UK and Ireland, complements our existing URC and TOP14 coverage and shows our innovation, ambition and growth as a broadcaster.

“We will now provide the most comprehensive rugby club coverage available across the UK and Ireland with 80 top European rugby fixtures, 151 URC games across five rugby nations and 110 TOP14 games live - making Premier Sports the destination for any rugby fan.”

Jacques Raynaud, CEO of EPCR, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Premier Sports to deliver fans in the UK and Ireland top-tier match coverage and have no doubt the incredible line up of knowledgeable and authentic talent will enhance the programming even further for both long-term fans of the sport, as well as appealing to a new audience.

"Our innovative and strategic partnership will see Premier Sports become the home of club rugby in the UK and Ireland. We are excited to be part of the journey and to bring the best of elite club rugby to fans.

"The UK is one of our biggest broadcast markets, and we have no doubt our long-term partnership with Premier Sports, which includes the creation of a 24/7 rugby channel in 2025, will bring the sport we love to even more fans.”

Who’s who for Premier Sports coverage

Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt: 76 international caps. Rugby World Cup winner. Scrum-half for Gloucester-Hartpury and England. Team GB Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Martin Bayfield: 31 England caps and three British & Irish Lions caps. Lock for Northampton Saints and Bedford Blues. Part of the 1992 Five Nations Grand Slam winning side, he played for England during one of the most successful eras in English rugby, winning two Grand Slams alongside legendary players such as Will Carling, Jeremy Guscott, Brian Moore and Rory Underwood. Standing at 6ft 10ins, the former England and Lions second row remains one of the tallest players ever to have played international rugby. 1993 British Lions Tour to New Zealand and part of the 1995 World Cup Squad.

Laurence Dallaglio: Dallaglio played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps throughout his club career (326 appearances). Playing in all three positions in the back row, he won 85 caps for England and was part of the team that won the 2003 World Cup. He played in three British & Irish Lions campaigns (2001, 2005, 1997). He is one of a very small number of players to have won both the Rugby World Cup and Sevens World Cup.

Simon Zebo: The record-breaking Irish fullback and winger for Munster (176 appearances) and Racing 92 (60 appearances) and Ireland (35 caps). Zebo has scored more Champions Cup tries than any other Irish player (35) and is third on the all-time list for tries in the competition. Zebo started for Racing 92 in the 2020 European Rugby Champions Cup Final against Exeter Chiefs. Won Six Nations in 2015 with Ireland and also featured in the World Cup that year. Three appearances for the British & Irish Lions in 2013. He spent three years in France (2018-2021) playing for Racing 92 scoring 25 tries.

Tom Shanklin: played European rugby for the Cardiff Blues and Saracens. Born in Harrow, London he played outside centre for Cardiff (114 appearances) and Wales (70 caps), London Welsh and Saracens (48 appearances). A top 10 try scorer for Wales with 20 tries.

Chris Paterson: now an ambassador and specialist coach for Scotland and Edinburgh, he played for Edinburgh 156 times. Paterson is Scotland's record points scorer with 809 points and second most-capped player with 109 caps. He was capable of playing in a range of positions, including fullback, wing and flyhalf. He also had a spell at Gloucester (17 appearances).

Chris Robshaw: former England captain from January 2012 until December 2015. Robshaw played in the back row. Harlequins 300 appearances and captained the club for six years. England 66 appearances. Vice-captain of Harlequins in 2014/15 after which he relinquished his role to Joe Marler when he became England captain. Robshaw is a two-time Aviva Premiership Player of the Year winner. He announced his retirement in October 2022.

Andy Goode: had an 18-year professional rugby career playing over 400 games and scoring over 4 000 points. He played in England, France and South Africa, featuring for Leicester Tigers (199 appearances), Saracens (37), Worcester Warriors (83), Wasps (51), Newcastle Falcons (9), Sharks (8) and Brive (36). He has 17 England caps earnt between 2005 and 2009 scoring 107 points. Goode is the second highest scorer of all time in Premiership Rugby. He won two European Cups (2001 and 2002) with Leicester Tigers.

Topsy Ojo: former London Irish and England international, he is London Irish's all-time leading try scorer, with 85 tries in all competitions. He had 301 appearances for London Irish and two England caps. He played in the 2008 European semi-final against Toulouse, where he scored but his team sadly lost.

John Barclay: former Scotland International rugby captain leading his country to wins in 2018 Six Nations over England and France. He has 76 caps for Scotland. He played 148 games for Glasgow Warriors. Barclay joined Scarlets in 2013/14, helping the Welsh side win the PRO12 Championship.

Ryan Wilson: Scotland international back row, he made his debut for his country in 2013 and won 50 caps. He is a double centurion for Glasgow Warriors with 222 caps and was part of the side that won the 2015 PRO12. He was captain and co-captain of his club for three years.

Shane Williams: one of Wales’ most famous wingers, Williams played for the Ospreys (141 appearances) and is a record try scorer for Wales with 87 caps for his country and 4th on the international list of rugby union Test try scorers. He was awarded World Rugby Player of the Year. He played in four British & Irish Lions series. He retired from international rugby in 2012.

Stephen Ferris: 106 appearances for Ulster and won 35 caps for Ireland including a 2009 Irish Grand Slam title followed by a Lions breakthrough in 2009 for the tour of South Africa. He won a Celtic League title in his very first senior season with Ulster and led them to a Heineken Cup Final. He played in all three back row positions for Ulster and was an inspiring leader in their rugby set-up, earning the admiration and respect of supporters across Ireland with his strength, bravery, pace and skill.

Andrew Trimble: former Irish international rugby player turned entrepreneur and businessman. As one of Ulster’s most capped players on the wing or at outside centre, he achieved 229 appearances for Ulster and 70 caps for Ireland, winning the Six Nations and beating the All Blacks.

Rob Kearney: Irish international fullback who played for Leinster for 15 years with 219 club appearances and a decade for the Ireland national team with 95 caps. Two British & Irish Lions Tours (2009, 2013). He was part of Leinster's Heineken Cup winning team in 2009.

Ian Madigan: Irish international flyhalf who played for Leinster, Bordeaux (in 2016), Bristol Bears, Ulster and Ireland. Madigan won two European Cups and two league titles with Leinster, making 147 appearances for the Dublin-based club side after making his debut in 2009. He also won two Six Nations titles - in 2014 and 2015 - with Ireland. The Dubliner made 31 appearances for Ireland and played in all five of his country's games at the 2015 World Cup.