Heineken Cup Fixtures Released

The fixtures, dates, kick-off times and host broadcasters for the first four rounds of the 15th edition of the Heineken Cup were today announced by ERC, the tournament organisers.

While Leinster will open their defence of the title on Friday October 9 (kick-off 8pm), the first game of the 2009/10 Heineken Cup campaign will kick off at Ravenhill half-an-hour earlier when Ulster host Bath.

Leo Cullen’s Leinster side then travel to France to clash with 1997 winners Brive in another tournament first meeting before their back-to-back contests with more familiar opponents, the Scarlets.

Munster face a trip to Northampton on Saturday, October 10 for their opening game of the tournament in a clash of former champions.

The 2008 champions, Munster, head to Northampton Saints for their pool opener on Saturday, October 10, in what will be a re-run of the 2000 Heineken Cup final.

That was the Irish side’s first of four final appearances, although the Saints took the honours at Twickenham on that occasion, 9-8.

Former double champions Leicester Tigers, beaten 19-16 in the 2009 final at Murrayfield two months ago, open their challenge at the revamped 24,000-capacity Welford Road against the Ospreys in a carbon copy start to last season’s campaign.

While the English champions have the bonus of a home start, French champions Perpignan begin on the road against top Italian club Benetton Treviso.

Another team who will be christening a new stadium this season will be last season’s semi-finalists, Cardiff Blues.They host Harlequins in their first European match at their new home, the 26,000-seater Cardiff City Stadium.

* Please note the Round 4 Stade Francais Paris v Ulster game will be played at venue outside Paris to be confirmed shortly.

2009/10 HEINEKEN CUP FIXTURES –

(All kick-offs times are local time) 

ROUND 1:

Friday, October 9, 2009
Pool 2 Gloucester v Newport Gwent Dragons 20.00 S4C* / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 4 Ulster v Bath Rugby 19.30
Pool 6 Leinster v London Irish 20.00 Sky Sports

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Pool 1 Benetton Treviso v Perpignan 14.30 Sky Italia
Pool 1 Northampton Saints v Munster 18.00 Sky Sports
Pool 2 Glasgow Warriors v Biarritz Olympique 15.45 Sky Sports / France 2
Pool 3 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Viadana 16.00
Pool 4 Stade Francais Paris v Edinburgh 14.35 Canal+ / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 5 Cardiff Blues v Harlequins 13.35 Sky Sports / S4C*
Pool 6 Scarlets v Brive 15.00

Sunday, October 11, 2009
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v Ospreys 12.45 Sky Sports / S4C*
Pool 5 Toulouse v Sale Sharks 16.00 France 2 / Sky Sports

ROUND 2:

Friday, October 16, 2009
Pool 1 Perpignan v Northampton Saints 21.00 Canal+ / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 2 Newport Gwent Dragons v Glasgow Warriors 19.30
Pool 5 Sale Sharks v Cardiff Blues 20.00 Sky Sports / S4C*

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Pool 1 Munster v Benetton Treviso 13.35 Sky Sports
Pool 2 Biarritz Olympique v Gloucester Rugby 14.35 Canal+ / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 3 Viadana v Leicester Tigers 14.30 Sky Italia / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 4 Edinburgh v Ulster 15.45 Sky Sports (i)
Pool 5 Harlequins v Toulouse 18.00 Sky Sports
Pool 6 London Irish v Scarlets 15.00
Pool 6 Brive v Leinster 16.45 France 2 / Sky Sports

Sunday, October 18, 2009
Pool 3 Ospreys v ASM Clermont Auvergne 12.45 S4C* / Sky Sports
Pool 4 Bath Rugby v Stade Français Paris 15.00 Sky Sports / France 2

ROUND 3:

Friday, December 11, 2009
Pool 1 Munster v Perpignan 20.00 Sky Sports
Pool 2 Glasgow Warriors v Gloucester Rugby 19.30

Saturday, December 12, 2009
Pool 1 Northampton Saints v Benetton Treviso 15.00
Pool 3 Viadana v Ospreys 14.30 Sky Italia/S4C*/Sky Sports (i)
Pool 4 Ulster v Stade Français Paris 13.35 Sky Sports
Pool 5 Cardiff Blues v Toulouse 15.45 S4C* / Sky Sports / France 2
Pool 6 Scarlets v Leinster 18.00 Sky Sports / S4C*
Pool 6 Brive v London Irish 19.00 Canal+ / Sky Sports (i)

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Pool 2 Biarritz Olympique v Newport Gwent Dragons 13.45 Canal+ / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 3 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Leicester Tigers 16.00 France 2 / Sky Sports
Pool 4 Bath Rugby v Edinburgh 15.00 Sky Sports (i)
Pool 5 Harlequins v Sale Sharks 12.45 Sky Sports

ROUND 4:

Friday, December 18, 2009
Pool 2 Newport Gwent Dragons v Biarritz Olympique 20.00 Sky Sports / S4C*

Saturday, December 19, 2009
Pool 1 Benetton Treviso v Northampton Saints 14.30 Sky Italia / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 3 Ospreys v Viadana 14.30
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v ASM Clermont Auvergne 18.00 Sky Sports
Pool 4 Stade Français Paris v Ulster 16.45 France 2 / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 4 Edinburgh v Bath Rugby 13.35 Sky Sports
Pool 5 Toulouse v Cardiff Blues 14.35 Canal+ / Sky Sports (i)
Pool 6 Leinster v Scarlets 15.45 Sky Sports
Pool 6 London Irish v Brive 15.00

Sunday, December 20, 2009
Pool 1 Perpignan v Munster 16.00 France 2 / Sky Sports
Pool 2 Gloucester Rugby v Glasgow Warriors 12.45 Sky Sports
Pool 5 Sale Sharks v Harlequins 15.00

*Highlights, (i) Live on Sky Sports interactive
Full TV schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

ROUND 5:

January 15/16/17, 2010
Pool 1 Benetton Treviso v Munster
Pool 1 Northampton Saints v Perpignan
Pool 2 Gloucester Rugby v Biarritz Olympique
Pool 2 Glasgow Warriors v Newport Gwent Dragons
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v Viadana
Pool 3 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Ospreys
Pool 4 Stade Français Paris v Bath Rugby
Pool 4 Ulster v Edinburgh
Pool 5 Toulouse v Harlequins
Pool 5 Cardiff Blues v Sale Sharks
Pool 6 Leinster v Brive
Pool 6 Scarlets v London Irish

ROUND 6:

January 22/23/24, 2010
Pool 1 Munster v Northampton Saints
Pool 1 Perpignan v Benetton Treviso
Pool 2 Biarritz Olympique v Glasgow Warriors
Pool 2 Newport Gwent Dragons v Gloucester Rugby
Pool 3 Viadana v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Pool 3 Ospreys v Leicester Tigers
Pool 4 Bath Rugby v Ulster
Pool 4 Edinburgh v Stade Français Paris
Pool 5 Harlequins v Cardiff Blues
Pool 5 Sale Sharks v Toulouse
Pool 6 Brive v Scarlets
Pool 6 London Irish v Leinster

QUARTER-FINALS
April 9/10/11, 2010

SEMI-FINALS
May 1/2, 2010

FINAL
Saturday, May 22, 2010; Stade de France