GLOUCESTER will be off to France to kick-off the European Challenge Cup next season when they take on Pau.

The draw for the tournament, made on Tuesday afternoon, has pitted the Cherry and Whites against former French and European Challenge Cup champions on Thursday October 12 at Stade du Hameau.

And Gloucester should be favourites to win the match as Pau lost their last three European Challenge Cup clashes last season, one by 69-10 to Bath at The Rec.

The following week, Gloucester face more French opposition, this time at Kingsholm, on a Thursday evening when Agen come to the city.

The sides have faced each other twice previously and it is 1-1 in terms of wins, although Agen’s leaky defence has conceded three times more tries to Gloucester than the other way around.

The match is scheduled for October 19 with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Gloucester’s back-to-back group matches before Christmas will see them travelling to Zebre Rugby in Italy first on December 9 with a 2.30pm kick-off, before the return fixture takes place on Saturday December 16 at 3pm.

And, by then, Gloucester’s director of rugby David Humphreys will be hoping that his side will have qualified for the knock-out stages by then with a perfect record.

The dates for Gloucester’s final two games – away to Agen and home to Pau – in the first month of the new year are yet to be decided but the Cherry and Whites will be at Agen on either January 11, 12, 13 or 14 and at Kingsholm for the last group match with Pau on January 18-21.

Immediately after the fixtures announcement, airfares to Toulouse, the nearest big city airport to Pau, for flights on October 11 to October 13 from Bristol, were still available at just £80 return.