Mourad Boudjellal: Champions Cup seeding should reward Toulon
ESPN Staff
June 19, 2015
Toulon celebrate winning the Champions Cup
Toulon celebrate winning the Champions Cup© (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Mourad Boudjellal, the Toulon president, believes the European champions should be rewarded for their success as he proposes changes to the seeding system for the Champions Cup.

Toulon, who became the first side ever to win three European titles consecutively in May, were drawn alongside Leinster, Bath and Wasps in Pool 5 - the group of death for 2015/16.

Each side in the pool has once been European champions yet holders Toulon were only seeded second in the draw as the system is based on domestic league form, not success in the Champions Cup.

Toulon lost in the Top 14 semi-finals to Stade Français and so the Paris outfit joined Saracens, Glasgow and two league runners-up, Clermont Auvergne and Bath, as top seeds.

But Boudjellal thinks the European champions should be given automatic top billing.

"We weren't top seeds and in those circumstances we were guaranteed a tough group," Boudjellal said.

"Perhaps it would be good to have the automatic top seeds as the French champions, English champions, PRO12 champions and Champions Cup winners.

It seems like a good option to me but the people in charge of European Professional Club Rugby have chosen the rule and we respect it."

Toulon will call upon a new set of galacticos to help them defend their title next year. They have signed Springbok No.8 Duane Vermeulen as well as All Black centre Ma'a Nonu and second-rowers Paul O'Connell and Samu Manoa.

© ESPN Staff

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