Northampton and Bath will compete for points in the same tough Champions Cup pool next season, having been drawn alongside the Pretoria-based Bulls and Top 14 runners-up Montpellier.

The Bulls lost in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final against Leinster in June, while Montpellier were also one match from glory, beaten by Toulouse in France’s showpiece league competition.

Stade Francais, who reached the Top 14 semi-finals, and Cardiff – the top-ranked Welsh side in the URC – complete a competitive Pool Four.

Elsewhere, Bristol will face Gloucester and Munster in Pool Three, as well as being reunited with defending champions Bordeaux-Begles.

The French superpower took a narrow victory at Ashton Gate when the teams met at the same stage in January.

Leinster will take on Leicester, Sale and Glasgow in Pool One, while Toulouse – who clinched a fourth successive French title last weekend – will provide opposition for Saracens, Exeter and Connacht in Pool Two.

In the second-tier Challenge Cup, Harlequins have been drawn alongside three-time Champions Cup winners Toulon, along with Edinburgh and Ospreys.

Newcastle are in Pool Two with Scarlets, Benetton and Sharks.

Ulster have Bayonne and Perpignan as their French opposition in Pool Three, as well as Dragons.

The fixture list, with potentially crucial home advantage, will be announced later this month.

In the Champions Cup, each team plays four matches in the pool stages, taking on the teams in their group from outside their usual domestic league.

The top three in each of the four pools progress into the knockout stage, with a top-two finish also guaranteeing home advantage in the last 16.

The final four spots in the first knockout stage will be allocated to the teams from across the four pools who have amassed the most points in the table.

Teams also play four matches in the Challenge Cup pool stages, generally avoiding teams from their usual league.

The top three in each of the three pools also progress to the last 16, where they are joined by the three teams with the next best records from across the pools as well as four teams who fail to make the knockout stages of the Champions Cup.

Both tournaments have secured an earlier starting slot next season, with the first pool-stage games to be played on the weekend of 16-18 October. The competitions culminate in a finals weekend to be staged in the French city of Lyon in May.

Pool One: Leinster, Glasgow, Pau, Sale Sharks, Leicester, Clermont

Pool Two: Toulouse, Lions, Saracens, La Rochelle, Exeter Chiefs, Connacht

Pool Three: Bordeaux Begles, Stormers, Racing 92, Munster, Bristol Bears, Gloucester

Pool Four: Northampton, Bath, Cardiff, Montpellier, Stade Francais, Bulls

Pool One: Cheetahs, Ulster, Perpignan, Dragons, Bayonne, Zebre

Pool Two: Benetton, Lyon, Newcastle Red Bulls, Sharks, Castres Olympique, Scarlets

Pool Three: Ospreys, Edinburgh Rugby, Black Lion, Harlequins, Toulon, Vannes