Heineken Cup fixtures announced
Munster: First up in defence: Montauban
The fixtures, dates and kick-off times the first four Rounds of the 2008/09 Heineken Cup tournament were announced by ERC on Thursday.
Reigning Heineken Cup champions Munster will be first into the action when they launch the defence of their title with an opening night Round 1 clash with tournament newcomers Montauban at a revamped Thomond Park on Friday, October 10.
Three-time champions and 2008 finalists Toulouse will close the first weekend's matches when they host fellow former winners Bath on Sunday October 12 at the 37,000 capacity Le Stadium.
Montauban - who will become the 55th team to play Heineken Cup rugby - will immediately go under the spotlight against the 2006 and 2008 champions in an all-French clash with ASM Clermont Auvergne in Round 2 making Stade de Sapiac the 83rd venue to stage tournament action.
"Montauban will be a very interesting - and difficult - start for us and, at the moment, we don't know that much about them," said Tony McGahan, Munster's new Director of Coaching told the ERC website.
"However, they have done superbly well in the Top 14 in order to qualify for the Heineken Cup for the first time and there is absolutely no way we will be under-estimating them."
Another new venue in the later stages will be Parc y Scarlets - the soon to be completed £23m new home of Llanelli Scarlets - while a national ground that will see Pool stage action will be the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Blues moving their big Anglo-Welsh Round 2 match against Gloucester next door to the venue that has hosted three Heineken Cup finals.
THE POOLS
POOL 1: Munster, Sale Sharks, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Montauban
POOL 2: London Wasps, Leinster, Castres Olympique, Edinburgh
POOL 3: Leicester Tigers, Perpignan, Ospreys, Benetton Treviso
POOL 4: Stade Français Paris, Llanelli Scarlets, Ulster, Harlequins
POOL 5: Toulouse, Bath, Dragons, Glasgow Warriors
POOL 6: Biarritz Olympique, Gloucester, Cardiff Blues, Rugby Calvisano
THE FIXTURES (All kick-offs LOCAL times)
ROUND 1
FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER, 2008
Pool 1 Munster v Montauban 20.00
Pool 3 Perpignan v Benetton Treviso 21.00
SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER, 2008
Pool 1 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Sale Sharks 14.35
Pool 2 Edinburgh v Leinster 13.35
Pool 4 Llanelli Scarlets v Harlequins 15.30
Pool 4 Ulster v Stade Français Paris 15.30
Pool 5 Dragons v Glasgow Warriors 14.30
Pool 6 Gloucester v Biarritz Olympique
Pool 6 Rugby Calvisano v Cardiff Blues
SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER, 2008
Pool 2 London Wasps v Castres Olympique 15.00
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v Ospreys 13.00
Pool 5 Toulouse v Bath 16.00
ROUND 2
FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER, 2008
Pool 5 Glasgow Warriors v Toulouse 20.00
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER, 2008
Pool 2 Castres Olympique v Edinburgh 18.30
Pool 2 Leinster v London Wasps 17.30
Pool 3 Benetton Treviso v Leicester Tigers
Pool 3 Ospreys v Perpignan 15.30
Pool 4 Stade Français Paris v Llanelli Scarlets 14.35
Pool 4 Harlequins v Ulster 15.00
Pool 6 Biarritz Olympique v Calvisano
SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER, 2008
Pool 1 Montauban v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Pool 1 Sale Sharks v Munster 13.00
Pool 5 Bath v Dragons 13.00
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Gloucester 15.00
ROUND 3
FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER, 2008
Pool 1 Sale Sharks v Montauban 19.45
Pool 2 Edinburgh v London Wasps 19.30
Pool 4 Ulster v Llanelli Scarlets 20.00
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Biarritz Olympique 20.00
SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER, 2008
Pool 2 Leinster v Castres Olympique 13.35
Pool 3 Ospreys v Benetton Treviso 15.00
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v Perpignan 17.30
Pool 4 Stade Français Paris v Harlequins 16.30
Pool 5 Toulouse v Dragons 14.35
Pool 6 Calvisano v Gloucester Rugby 14.35
SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER, 2008
Pool 1 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Munster 16.00
Pool 5 Bath v Glasgow Warriors 13.00
ROUND 4
FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER, 2008
Pool 2 Castres Olympique v Leinster 21.00
Pool 4 Llanelli Scarlets v Ulster 20.00
SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER, 2008
Pool 1 Munster v ASM Clermont Auvergne 15.30
Pool 1 Montauban v Sale Sharks 19.00
Pool 3 Benetton Treviso v Ospreys 14.35
Pool 4 Harlequins v Stade Français 17.30
Pool 5 Dragons v Toulouse 14.30
Pool 6 Biarritz Olympique v Cardiff Blues 14.35
Pool 6 Gloucester v Calvisano 15.00
SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER, 2008
Pool 2 London Wasps v Edinburgh 13.00
Pool 3 Perpignan v Leicester Tigers 16.00
Pool 5 Glasgow Warriors v Bath 14.00
ROUND 5
16 / 17 / 18 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 1 Munster v Sale Sharks
Pool 1 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Montauban
Pool 2 London Wasps v Leinster
Pool 2 Edinburgh v Castres Olympique
Pool 3 Perpignan v Ospreys
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v Benetton Treviso
Pool 4 Llanelli Scarlets v Stade Français
Pool 4 Ulster v Harlequins
Pool 5 Dragons v Bath
Pool 5 Toulouse v Glasgow Warriors
Pool 6 Gloucester v Cardiff
Pool 6 Calvisano v Biarritz Olympique
ROUND 6
23 / 24 / 25 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 1 Sale Sharks v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Pool 1 Montauban v Munster
Pool 2 Leinster v Edinburgh
Pool 2 Castres Olympique v London Wasps
Pool 3 Ospreys v Leicester Tigers
Pool 3 Benetton Treviso v Perpignan
Pool 4 Stade Français v Ulster
Pool 4 Harlequins v Llanelli Scarlets
Pool 5 Bath v Toulouse
Pool 5 Glasgow Warriors v Dragons
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Calvisano
Pool 6 Biarritz Olympique v Gloucester
QUARTER-FINALS - 10 / 11 / 12 APRIL, 2009
SEMI-FINALS - 1 / 2 / 3 MAY, 2009
14th HEINEKEN CUP FINAL - MURRAYFIELD STADIUM, EDINBURGH - 23 / 24 MAY, 2009