ERC Confirm Heineken Cup Pool Stage Ties

Both Leinster and Ulster will begin the 2005/06 Heineken Cup pool stages at home in October, meanwhile Declan Kidney’s Munster side are facing an away trip to Challenge Cup champions Sale.

Beaten by Biarritz in last year’s quarter-finals, Munster will travel to Edgeley Park to open their Pool 1 account in the autumn, after the ERC today confirmed the early fixture lists.

Kidney’s charges then take on Castres (home) and Newport-Gwent Dragons (away-and-home) pre-Christmas, before wrapping up their pool campaign in January with a visit to Castres and lastly, a Thomond Park tussle against Sale.

Leinster, also beaten quarter-finalists in 2004/05, kick-off their Pool 5 charge against familiar foes Bath, whom they defeated twice last season (30-11 and 27-23), at Lansdowne Road.

Michael Cheika’s lot then travel to Glasgow before taking on Bourgoin in home-and-away ties before the end of the year. January will see Leinster welcome Glasgow back to Dublin, and the men in blue end the pool stages with a trip to Bath’s famous Rec ground.

Ulster, meanwhile, should start with a Ravenhill win against Italian Super 10 side Benetton Treviso in October.

Tough fixtures against Biarritz (away) and Saracens (home-and-away) follow before the festive break. Mark McCall’s men, who have each year failed to make the quarter-finals since their tournament win back in 1999, then take on Biarritz at Ravenhill, and travel to Treviso for the sixth round over the weekend of January 20-22.

The precise dates and kick-off times for all the Pool matches in the early rounds will be confirmed as soon as possible with the broadcaster partners in the UK, Ireland, France and Italy.

HEINEKEN CUP 2005/06 POOL FIXTURES:

ROUND 1 (October 21/22/23):

Pool 1:
Sale Sharks v Munster
Castres Olympique v Newport-Gwent Dragons

Pool 2:

Cardiff Blues v Leeds Tykes
Rugby Calvisano v Perpignan

Pool 3:
Ospreys v Stade Francais
Leicester Tigers v ASM Clermont Auvergne

Pool 4:

Ulster Rugby v Benetton Treviso
Saracens v Biarritz Olympique

Pool 5:
Bourgoin v Glasgow Warriors
Leinster v Bath Rugby

Pool 6:
Toulouse v Llanelli Scarlets
Edinburgh Rugby v London Wasps

ROUND 2 (October 28/29/30):

Pool 1:
Munster v Castres Olympique
Newport-Gwent Dragons v Sale Sharks

Pool 2:
Leeds Tykes v Rugby Calvisano
Perpignan v Cardiff Blues

Pool 3:
Stade Francais v Leicester Tigers
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Ospreys

Pool 4:
Benetton Treviso v Saracens
Biarritz Olympique v Ulster Rugby

Pool 5:
Glasgow Warriors v Leinster
Bath Rugby v Bourgoin

Pool 6:
Llanelli Scarlets v Edinburgh Rugby
London Wasps v Toulouse

ROUND 3 (December 9/10/11):

Pool 1:
Castres Olympique v Sale Sharks
Newport-Gwent Dragons v Munster

Pool 2:
Rugby Calvisano v Cardiff Blues
Leeds Tykes v Perpignan

Pool 3:

Leicester Tigers v Ospreys
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Stade Francais

Pool 4:
Ulster Rugby v Saracens
Biarritz Olympique v Benetton Treviso

Pool 5:
Leinster v Bourgoin
Bath Rugby v Glasgow Warriors

Pool 6:
Edinburgh Rugby v Toulouse
Llanelli Scarlets v London Wasps

ROUND 4 (December 16/17/18):

Pool 1:
Sale Sharks v Castres Olympique
Munster v Newport-Gwent Dragons

Pool 2:
Cardiff Blues v Rugby Calvisano
Perpignan v Leeds Tykes

Pool 3:
Ospreys v Leicester Tigers
Stade Francais v ASM Clermont Auvergne

Pool 4:
Saracens v Ulster Rugby
Benetton Treviso v Biarritz Olympique

Pool 5:
Bourgoin v Leinster
Glasgow Warriors v Bath Rugby

Pool 6:
Toulouse v Edinburgh Rugby
London Wasps v Llanelli Scarlets

ROUND 5 (January 13/14/15):

Pool 1:
Sale Sharks v Newport-Gwent Dragons
Castres Olympique v Munster

Pool 2:
Cardiff Blues v Perpignan
Rugby Calvisano v Leeds Tykes

Pool 3:
Ospreys v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Leicester Tigers v Stade Francais

Pool 4:
Ulster Rugby v Biarritz Olympique
Saracens v Benetton Treviso

Pool 5:
Bourgoin v Bath Rugby
Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

Pool 6:
Toulouse v London Wasps
Edinburgh Rugby v Llanelli Scarlets

ROUND 6 (January 20/21/22):

Pool 1:
Newport-Gwent Dragons v Castres Olympique
Munster v Sale Sharks

Pool 2:
Perpignan Rugby v Calvisano
Leeds Tykes v Cardiff Blues

Pool 3:
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Leicester Tigers
Stade Francais v Ospreys

Pool 4:
Biarritz Olympique v Saracens
Benetton Treviso v Ulster Rugby

Pool 5:
Bath Rugby v Leinster
Glasgow Warriors v Bourgoin

Pool 6:
London Wasps v Edinburgh Rugby
Llanelli Scarlets v Toulouse

Quarter-finals: April 1/2
Semi-finals: April 22/23
FINAL: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, May 20/21