Aviva Stadium Chosen As Possible Cup Semi-Final Venue
The Aviva Stadium and Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, as well as three French stadiums – Saint-Etienne’s Stade Geoffroy Guichard, the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice and Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux – have been chosen as the venues which are in line to host this season’s Champions Cup semi-finals on April 21-22.
If the Scarlets manage to defeat La Rochelle in the first of the Champions Cup quarter-finals on Friday night, they will travel to play either number one-ranked Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, or holders Saracens at the Ricoh Arena.
However, if Champions Cup debutants La Rochelle emerge victorious, they will earn home country advantage and will meet the winners of Sunday’s Leinster v Saracens tie at Stade Chaban-Delmas.
If Munster get the better of Toulon on Saturday, Johann van Graan’s men will travel to France to play either Clermont Auvergne at Stade Geoffroy Guichard or Racing 92 at Stade Chaban-Delmas.
But if Toulon win in Limerick, they will have home country advantage at the Allianz Riviera Stadium against the winners of Sunday’s Clermont v Racing 92 quarter-final.
The format for the semi-final matches in the Champions Cup recognises performances by teams during the pool stages as well as the achievement of winning a quarter-final match away from home.
The Champions Cup semi-finals are played at venues designated by EPCR which have been selected, in this instance, in conjunction with the Irish Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby.
CHAMPIONS CUP SEMI-FINALS:
Saturday, April 21-Sunday, April 22
SF1: If Leinster v Scarlets – Aviva Stadium (Dublin)
SF1: If Saracens v Scarlets – Ricoh Arena (Coventry)
SF1: If La Rochelle v Leinster – Stade Chaban-Delmas (Bordeaux)
SF1: If La Rochelle v Saracens – Stade Chaban-Delmas (Bordeaux)
SF2: If Clermont Auvergne v Munster – Stade Geoffroy Guichard (Saint-Etienne)
SF2: If Racing 92 v Munster – Stade Chaban-Delmas (Bordeaux)
SF2: If Toulon v Clermont Auvergne – Alllianz Riviera Stadium (Nice)
SF2: If Toulon v Racing 92 – Allianz Riviera Stadium (Nice)
CHAMPIONS CUP FINAL: San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Saturday, May 12, kick-off 5.45pm local time