Heineken Cup Pool Draw Is Made
The draw for the 2012/2013 Heineken Cup was made at the Aviva Stadium earlier today and marks the first step on the road to Dublin 2013 where the 18th Heineken Cup final will be staged on Saturday, May 18, 2013 with a 5pm kick-off.
Reigning Heineken Cup champions Leinster have been drawn in Pool 5 of the 2012/13 tournament and will face familiar foes Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets and newcomers Exeter Chiefs as they attempt to win an unprecedented third title in-a-row.
Last season’s Heineken Cup runners-up Ulster will be in Pool 4 alongside Northampton Saints, Glasgow Warriors and Castres Olympique, while two-time winners Munster are up against Edinburgh, Saracens and Racing Metro 92 in Pool 1.
Current English Premiership champions Harlequins are in Pool 3 with Biarritz Olympique, their regular European rivals Connacht and Italian newcomers Zebre.
In tandem with the draw, ERC also announced that the Amlin Challenge Cup final, which gets the Dublin 2013 finals weekend underway, will kick off at 8pm at the RDS on Friday, May 17.
2012/13 HEINEKEN CUP POOL DRAW:
POOL 1: MUNSTER, Edinburgh Rugby, Saracens, Racing Metro 92
POOL 2: Toulouse, Leicester Tigers, Ospreys, Benetton Treviso
POOL 3: Biarritz Olympique, Harlequins, CONNACHT, Zebre
POOL 4: Northampton Saints, ULSTER, Glasgow Warriors, Castres Olympique
POOL 5: LEINSTER, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets, Exeter Chiefs
POOL 6: Cardiff Blues, Toulon, Sale Sharks, Montpellier
2012/13 Heineken Cup Dates –
Round 1 – October 12/13/14, 2012
Round 2 – October 19/20/21, 2012
Round 3 – December 7/8/9, 2012
Round 4 – December 14/15/16, 2012
Round 5 – January 11/12/13, 2013
Round 6 – January 18/19/20, 2013
Quarter-finals – April 5/6/7, 2013
Semi-finals – April 26/27/28, 2013
Dublin 2013 Finals –
Amlin Challenge Cup final – RDS, Friday, May 17, 2013 (8pm)
Heineken Cup final – Aviva Stadium, Saturday, May 18, 2013 (5pm)