So far, the EPCR Finals weekend has only once been staged outside the main EPCR nations – in 2018, when Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium in Spain hosted the showpiece matches, attracting attendances of 32,543 for the Challenge Cup and 52,282 for the Heineken Champions Cup.

However, Lepage, speaking in Doha as the United Rugby Championship (URC), EPCR and the South African Rugby Union signed a deal with Qatar Airways including transporting Cell C Sharks, Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs to Europe and back for their EPCR matches, hinted that could change in the near future.

He said: “We’re trying to have a mix, of traditional and new. We need to serve every fan in the end. It’s something we’re looking at – new territories that we haven’t been to like Italy, going back to Spain, Portugal, Brussels, Germany, Amsterdam.

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“But it’s a long process, as we need to have the commitment and involvement of the local union for that, to bring local fans as well. It’s part of our goal to grow rugby and try to extend.”

The Frenchman hinted that that EPCR could also stage semi-final double-headers in these countries as well – as the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) did last season, when the TOP 14 semi-finals were played in Nice’s Allianz Riviera Stadium over two days.

“If that can help us fill a stadium and fans can plan their travel, there are lots of possibilities,” he said. “Some are ambitious, but we are in a phase where there is no limit somewhere. We’re working with the leagues, so it’s important. We have our own interests, our own DNA, but if we respect that, there’s no limit.”

With the five South African teams’ entry into the two EPCR competitions this season, the Frenchman admitted a Finals weekend in South Africa would be a natural progression too.

“I’d like to show that this territory needs love, as it’s a land of rugby. We as Europeans can learn from them,” he said.

“We’ll have a huge fight on the field, which is a huge excitement. The French, English and the others will say ‘it’s our tournament and we don’t want the South Africans to win it.’ That’s exciting.”

However, there are no plans to host games in Qatar.