The famous Italian brand has been supplying match officials kit, as well as apparel for EPCR staff and various other organisational purposes, since 2019, and the agreement is extended at a pivotal time for the tournaments with the historic introduction of the leading South African clubs.

EPCR Marketing and Commercial Director, François Vergnol, said: “We are delighted to continue our association with Kappa which is one of the leading brands in sportswear and lifestyle worldwide and to have our match officials kitted out in attire of the highest quality.

“This significant contract partnership extension is another indication of how EPCR continues to be an attractive proposition for global brands and reflects well on the status of our tournaments.”

Kappa Marketing and Commercial Director, Rémi Garnier, said: “We are very happy to continue this European adventure with EPCR which began in 2019, and it reinforces once again our position as a major rugby kit supplier. The integration of South African clubs this season will give Kappa an even stronger visibility and we are proud to be part of this historic change.”

EPCR’s tournaments are set to extend their reach with a range of TV deals for the new cycle including the confirmation of SuperSport as the exclusive broadcaster in South Africa in tandem with the landmark inclusion of the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, Cell C Sharks, Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs from this season.

EPCR has also agreed a multi-year partnership with the streaming platform, FloRugby, as the exclusive broadcaster of its tournaments in the USA. BT Sport and beIN SPORTS have also renewed their partnerships with EPCR to broadcast the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup in the UK and Ireland, and France respectively.

In addition, with the confirmation of ITV, RTE and S4C in the UK and Ireland, as well as France Télévisions in France, the tournaments will be broadcast on a free-to-air basis to more audiences than ever before.

The Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup will be played over eight weekends and the journey to the 2023 finals at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium – for which close to 55,000 tickets have already been sold – kicks off on Friday, 9 December.

About Kappa
Kappa® is one of the world's leading sportswear and lifestyle brands: technical, non-conformist, colourful, flexible, competent, global and Italian. Founded in 1967, the brand is recognised as one of the leading and most innovative sports equipment manufacturers in the team sports market, providing high performance technical equipment. The brand is historically linked to the sponsorship of professional clubs. Today, the brand equips more than a hundred professional clubs around the world. Present in football as well as in rugby, basketball, handball and skiing and now motorsports, Kappa® claims elegance and style with performant products. For more information: www.kappastore.fr/pages/marque

EPCR is pleased to announce that Kappa will continue as Official Technical Apparel Partner of the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup for three more years until the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.