Bristol Rugby are looking forward to renewing historical cross-Severn rivalries in the inaugural British & Irish Cup next season.

The new 24-team competition will include clubs from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland – and could see Bristol come up against old foes Cardiff and Newport.

The 12 English Championship clubs will compete with six Welsh Premiership sides, three Scottish teams and the top Irish provinces, Munster, Leinster and Ulster.

And Bristol Rugby chief executive Steve Gorvett is particularly enthused by the involvement of Welsh clubs Cardiff, Newport, Neath, Llanelli, Pontypridd and Aberavon.

"I think it's a good competition," he said. "Whether the Irish provinces will use their full teams in that competition, I somehow doubt. I think they will use it for their development teams.

"But for us, to have all the Welsh club sides in there is a very good thing. There are a lot of old rivalries there and I am sure our supporters will enjoy that side of it. I believe the competition is being organised on a regional basis, so I am sure we will see a few of the Welsh sides in our pool."

The competition will be split into four pools of six, with pool matches being played over five weekends during the autumn international and RBS 6 Nations windows. The top side in each pool will then qualify for the April semi-finals.

"We will have either two or three home matches and it will be interesting to see how it works out," said Gorvett.

"There's still a bit of sorting out to do with regard to the Championship itself, but it looks like there will be plenty of games next season!

"But from our point of view, with the competition being semi-regionalised, I would expect some of the old trips to South Wales to be repeated. And with teams such as Cardiff, Newport and Llanelli in there, it is clear there will be some decent sides involved."

Organisers have promised the competition will be split into geographical pools where possible, in order to "maximise local interest and minimise cost to teams and supporters", yet as Gorvett said: "I am sure for some clubs, the thought of travelling to Ireland for games is quite daunting."

Launching the new competition, Terry Burwell, the Rugby Football Union's tournaments and competitions director, said: "This is an exciting new tournament that will provide quality cross-border competition and will be a winner with players, coaches and fans alike.

"There is a real appetite for this competition and, from an English point of view, it will give Championship clubs an additional meaningful competition alongside their league structure."

In addition to the three Irish provinces, six Welsh clubs and 12 English Championship teams – Bedford, Birmingham & Solihull, Bristol Rugby, Cornish Pirates, Coventry, Doncaster, Exeter, London Welsh, Moseley, Nottingham, Plymouth and Rotherham – there will be three teams from Scotland.

They will be the top two finishers in the Scottish Premiership Division One – champions Ayr and either Boroughmuir or Heriot's – and a side drawn from Edinburgh, Glasgow and members of Scottish Rugby's national academy.