Quarter-Final Dates And Kick-Off Times Confirmed
One of the most anticipated weekends in the rugby calendar will get underway with the all-French clash of Clermont Auvergne and Montpellier at the Stade Marcel Michelin on Saturday, April 6 following the announcement by ERC of the dates and kick-off times for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
Saracens will be up against last season’s beaten finalists Ulster in the second of the Saturday fixtures with a venue to be announced at a later date.
Sunday’s matches on April 7 will kick off with the meeting of pool stage top seeds, Harlequins, and two-time former Heineken Cup champions Munster at the Twickenham Stoop.
With all matches broadcast live, and with capacity crowds expected at every venue, the curtain will come down on the weekend when French heavyweights Toulon take on Leicester Tigers, who won the tournament in 2001 and 2002, in the first ever meeting between the clubs in Europe.
Five of the teams in the last-eight of the world’s most competitive club rugby tournament – Clermont Auvergne, Harlequins, Leicester, Munster and Ulster – have European titles to their names, while Montpellier will be appearing in the knock-out stages for the first time.
Meanwhile, last season’s Heineken Cup champions Leinster will meet London Wasps in their Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final clash at Adams Park on Friday, April 5.
HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
– All kick-offs are local time
Saturday, April 6
Clermont Auvergne v Montpellier, Stade Marcel Michelin, 4.40pm (FR2/Sky Sports/Sky Italia)
Saracens v Ulster, venue to be confirmed, 6.30pm (Sky Sports/Canal+/Sky Italia)
• The game will mark Saracens’ third appearance in a Heineken Cup quarter-final
• Ulster bucked a tournament trend last season with an away quarter-final victory over Munster at Thomond Park
• Owen Farrell set a tournament record of 10 penalties in a match during Saracens’ key win over Racing Metro 92 at Stade de la Beaujoire in round 5
• Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall was Ulster captain in the club’s European Cup winning season of 1999 but missed the final through injury
Sunday, April 7
Harlequins v Munster, Twickenham Stoop, 2pm (Sky Sports/Canal+/Sky Italia)
• Harlequins came through the pool stage as number 1 seeds for the first time in the club’s history
• Munster have reached the knock-out stages of the tournament 14 times in the past 15 seasons
• The last time the teams met in European competition, Harlequins pulled off a famous 2011 Amin Challenge Cup semi-final victory at Thomond Park
• Munster have played in 13 Heineken Cup quarter-finals winning nine, and three of those wins were away from home: v Stade Francais 2002, v Leicester Tigers 2003 and Gloucester 2008
Toulon v Leicester Tigers, venue to be confirmed, 5.30pm (FR2/Canal+/Sky Sports/Sky Italia)
AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
– All kick-offs are local time
Thursday, April 4
Gloucester v Biarritz Olympique, Kingsholm, 8pm (Sky Sports/Eurosport France)
Friday, April 5
London Wasps v Leinster, Adams Park, 8pm (Sky Sports/Eurosport France)
Perpignan v Toulouse, Stade Aimé Giral, 8pm (FR4/Eurosport France)
Saturday, April 6
Bath v Stade Francais, Recreation Ground, 1pm (Sky Sports/Eurosport France)