Munster have been left holding the short straw for next season's Heineken Champions Cup with the two-time champions plunged into the clichéd 'Pool of Death' after today's draw in Lausanne. Ospreys return to the Champions Cup after a year spent in the wilderness that is the Challenge Cup last time out and qualify by dint of an unimpressive fourth-placed finish in Pool A of the Guinness PRO14. If Munster will be gritting their teeth at the fate presented to them then Leinster will be (quietly) thrilled with their surroundings in Pool 1. Connacht, back in the Champions Cup for a fifth time, face two daunting trips to France. Placed in the third strata of seeds, Andy Friend's side will pit themselves against Toulouse and Montpellier.

Source: Irish Examiner June 19, 2019 13:18 UTC