News article – Style E 1538
19/04/02.The Heineken Cup semi-finals in Beziers and Nottingham will be the highlight of the sporting weekend in Europe on 27 and 28 April with almost 50,000 fans turning out to see the games.
In France, Castres do battle with Munster and in England, the following day,Leicester face Llanelli for the right to play in the Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium on 25 May.
You can’t get a ticket for love nor money for either game unless, that is, you log on to the European Rugby Cup Limited website – www.ercrugby.com. The tournament organisers have beefed up their website in the build-up to
the final two rounds of the greatest club rugby competition in the world.
Fans who fear being confined to watching the action on the television could win tickets to the games.
Leicester Tigers and England skipper Martin Johnson has described his side’s game against Llanelli as being the unofficial ‘Battle of Britain’, while Castres are seeking to add to the French Six Nations Grand Slam by toppling
Munster.
Setting the scene for all the action on the ERC website is 1998 Heineken Cup winner Jon Callard. The former Bath coach has played against every team left in the tournament and gives his low down on the teams, their danger men and who he expects to reach the Millennium Stadium next month. So what’s on offer at the new look www.ercrugby.com?
Ticket Competitions.
There are 5 pairs of tickets for the Leicester Tigers v Llanelli match to be won in the “J.C Challenge” competition. See if you can match Jon Callard’s knowledge of the Heineken Cup.
There are tickets and travel on offer for a group of 4 fans from Ireland to see Munster play Castres in sunny Beziers.
And after the semi-finals, there will be tickets to be won to the showpiece final at the magnificent Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Saturday, 25 May.
Guest Columnist.
The Jon Callard column will get right to the heart of action in the last two rounds of the Heineken Cup. JC has seen it, done it, worn the jersey, held the cup and been involved in this season’s tournament. Informed, insightful comment by the full back who scored 2485 points in a career of 195 games for Bath and played six times for England.
One Stop Site For All The Pre-Match Build Up.Linking clubs around the Heineken Cup hub – www.ercrugby.com – acts as a destination site for supporters and their clubs. Going live from Thursday, 18 April, the site will feature new pages dedicated to city guides and travel information. Links are provided to all participating clubs.
Audio And Video Streaming.Listen in to what Jon Callard has got to say about the games and what the stars have got to say about their teams. Martin Johnson, Scott Quinnell, Anthony Foley and Gregor Townsend will all be talking to www.ercrugby.com
in the week of the semi-finals. There will also be live radio commentary on both games and a video highlights package for fans to see. Audio coverage kicks-off with Castres v Munster on Saturday, 27 April (3.00pm local time and 2.00pm BST). Leicester v Lalnelli kicks-off at 3.00pm BST.
The Heineken Cup Final will also be streamed on air from Cardiff (kick-off 3.00pm BST). The video highlights will be placed on the website approx an hour after the completion of the audio stream. The audio action will start on Monday, 22 April when the Radio 5 Live Heineken Cup forum from Welford Road will be available form 7.00pm.