Ireland

Our Bid

2023

News

ERC, organisers of the European Challenge Cup and Heineken Cup tournaments, released details of the new broadcast platform with the fixtures for the 2007/08 European Challenge Cup.

A minimum of 17 live European Challenge Cup games will be broadcast by France Televisions, Sky Sports and Eurosport France, the latter becoming ERCâ00s newest broadcast partner.

The tournament will also see three European fixtures played on Thursday evenings with Sale Sharks hosting two Thursday fixtures and one at Newcastle Falcons in the opening four rounds.

The match that will launch the tournament will be televised by Sky Sports and France 4 when Sale Sharks meet Montpellier at Edgeley Park on Thursday, November 8 (kick-off 7.45pm) while Eurosport France will show Auch against Bath Rugby in Pool 1 on the Saturday (8.45pm).

The addition of televised pool stage matches is set to provide a massive boost to the competition and further enhance its stature across Europe.

"This is fantastic news for everyone involved in European club rugby and especially for the players and fans of the 20 teams competing for the European Challenge Cup title," said ERC chairman Jean-Pierre Lux.

"The tournament has previously enjoyed televised matches at the knock-out stages but the profile of the European Challenge Cup will be considerably heightened right from the first day of the tournament in early November.

â00The increased interest from broadcasters reflects the growing quality of European rugby action on offer in the tournament with players such as Carl Hayman, Luke McAllister, Butch James, Rico Gear, Jonny Wilkinson, Sebastian Chabal and many, many more set to compete for European club glory.

â00The standard and intensity of the matches reaches new heights each season and I am sure we are in for another outstanding competition."

2007/08 EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP POOLS:

POOL 1: Bath Rugby, Albi, Overmach Rugby Parma, Auch

POOL 2: Montauban, Worcester Warriors, Gran Parma, Bucuresti

POOL 3: CONNACHT, Brive, Newcastle Falcons, Cetransa El Salvador

POOL 4: Bayonne, Sale Sharks, Petrarca Rugby, Montpellier

POOL 5: Rugby Calvisano, Castres Olympique, Leeds Carnegie, Dax

Monday was community legacy day at Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 as the IRFU's 'Spirit of Rugby' programme brought together some local disability rugby players from DLSP Eagles, Seapoint Dragons and Westmanstown Wasps, and a number of WRWC players and coaches from the competing nations, for a fun-filled coaching/training session and Tag rugby games.

Marie Louise Reilly joined her Ireland team-mates Nora Stapleton and Lindsay Peat at a recent Dublin City Council event in support of the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup. Reilly, who works as a DCC Sports Officer, said: "The team are coming together really well, we're working hard and hopefully August will be really memorable not just for us but for the whole country."

Speaking ahead of Saturday's second Test against Japan, Ireland tour captain Rhys Ruddock said: "We've been happy with the results so far, and there's been bits of the performances we've been really happy with and some bits that we're looking to improve on. Tomorrow marks the last opportunity to go out and do that, so we're all really excited about getting out there now."

Speaking about working with the provinces and monitoring players' progress, Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt told RTE Radio 1: "For us, having the best quality of performance within the provinces, getting some really good coaching from the provincial coaches, which we know is happening at the moment, that's the foundation that we need because in the end we get the players in a match week pretty much."