NEWCASTLE FALCONS have been drawn with French sides Lyon and Grenoble and the Welsh club Ospreys in the group phase of next season’s European Challenge Cup.
Newcastle have never previously played against Ospreys, while the trip to Grenoble will see director of rugby Dean Richards come up against one of his former clubs.
Richards said: “We always enjoy the European Challenge Cup and the exposure it offers our players. Playing in France is never easy and we will have two testing fixtures at Lyon and Grenoble, the latter of which I spent some time at just over a decade ago.
“It is a great part of the world and our supporters will enjoy that trip, and in Ospreys and Lyon we also know we will face quality opposition.”
The format of the 2016-17 tournament remains the same as last season, with the five group winners and three best runners-up making it through to the quarter-finals.
The dates of the group games are: Round One – October 13-16, Round Two – October 20-23, Round Three – December 8-11, Round Four – December 15-18, Round Five – January 12-15, Round Six – January 19-22.
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