Pool Fixtures In Place For Champions Cup And Challenge Cup
Leinster, who last season became only the second team in history to win Europe’s blue riband club tournament for a fourth time, will begin the defence of their Heineken Champions Cup title with a mouthwatering opening clash with Wasps at the RDS on Friday, October 12.
The Pool 1 meeting of Leinster and Wasps (live on BT Sport) is only one of a host of top quality matches in the fixture schedules for all six rounds of the 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup which have been announced today by tournament organisers EPCR.
Click here for the 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup fixtures
Click here for the 2018/19 Challenge Cup fixtures
While BT Sport continues to lead the television coverage of the Heineken Champions Cup in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the competition which last season featured global stars from 26 countries, will be more accessible than ever to supporters with one key match per round broadcast live and free-to-air on Channel 4 and TV3 *.
Like Leinster, Ulster will be hoping to make the most of home advantage in round 1 when they entertain Leicester Tigers at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday, October 13, a couple of hours after Munster have kicked off against Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park. Interestingly, those two sides meet in a pre-season match in Cork next Friday.
Much of the fans’ focus will be drawn to the crucial December double-headers, with Ulster facing back-to-back games against the Scarlets, who reached the semi-finals last season, Leinster travelling to Bath before hosting them in the return leg at the Aviva Stadium, and Castres Olympique will provide the opposition for Munster in rounds 3 and 4.
Connacht’s fixture list in the Challenge Cup certainly has a French flavour, with Bordeaux-Bègles the first round visitors to the Sportsground on Saturday, October 13, while Andy Friend’s side will duel it out with Perpignan in two tasty pre-Christmas encounters.
All 60 matches in rounds 1 to 6 of the Heineken Champions Cup will be broadcast live in the UK and Ireland on either BT Sport, Channel 4 or TV3, and in France on beIN Sports and France Télévisions.
* TV3’s free-to-air channels, TV3, 3e and be3, will be re-branded Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Three on Thursday, August 30. All live Heineken Champions Cup fixtures will be broadcast on Virgin Media One
IRISH PROVINCES’ EUROPEAN POOL FIXTURES FOR 2018/19:
Friday, October 12 – Round 1
Champions Cup Pool 1: LEINSTER v Wasps, the RDS, 7.45pm (live BT Sport)
Saturday, October 13 – Round 1
Challenge Cup Pool 3: CONNACHT v Bordeaux-Bègles, the Sportsground, 3pm
Champions Cup Pool 2: Exeter Chiefs v MUNSTER, Sandy Park, 3.15pm (live BT Sport)
Champions Cup Pool 4: ULSTER v Leicester Tigers, Kingspan Stadium, 5.30pm (live BT Sport)
Saturday, October 20 – Round 2
Champions Cup Pool 2: MUNSTER v Gloucester, Thomond Park, 1pm (live TV3/Channel 4/BT Sport)
Challenge Cup Pool 3: Sale Sharks v CONNACHT, AJ Bell Stadium, 3pm
Champions Cup Pool 4: Racing 92 v ULSTER, Paris La Defense Arena, 6.30pm local time/5.30pm Irish time (live beIN Sports/BT Sport)
Sunday, October 21 – Round 2
Champions Cup Pool 1: Toulouse v LEINSTER, Stade Ernest Wallon, 4.15pm local time/3.15pm Irish time (live FR2/BT Sport/beIN Sports)
Friday, December 7 – Round 3
Champions Cup Pool 4: Scarlets v ULSTER, Parc y Scarlets, 7.45pm (live BT Sport)
Saturday, December 8 – Round 3
Challenge Cup Pool 3: CONNACHT v Perpignan, the Sportsground, 3pm
Champions Cup Pool 1: Bath v LEINSTER, Recreation Ground, 3.15pm (live BT Sport)
Sunday, December 9 – Round 3
Champions Cup Pool 2: MUNSTER v Castres Olympique, Thomond Park, 1pm (live BT Sport/beIN Sports)
Friday, December 14 – Round 4
Champions Cup Pool 4: ULSTER v Scarlets, Parc y Scarlets, 7.45pm (live BT Sport)
Challenge Cup Pool 3: Perpignan v CONNACHT, Stade Aimé Giral, 8pm local time/7pm Irish time
Saturday, December 15 – Round 4
Champions Cup Pool 2: Castres Olympiue v MUNSTER, Stade Pierre Fabre, 6.30pm local time/5.30pm Irish time (live beIN Sports/BT Sport)
Champions Cup Pool 1: LEINSTER v Bath, Aviva Stadium, 5.30pm (live BT Sport)
Friday, January 11 – Round 5
Champions Cup Pool 2: Gloucester v MUNSTER, Kingsholm, 7.45pm (live BT Sport)
Saturday, January 12 – Round 5
Champions Cup Pool 1: LEINSTER v Toulouse, the RDS, 1pm (live TV3/Channel 4/BT Sport/beIN Sports)
Challenge Cup Pool 3: CONNACHT v Sale Sharks, the Sportsground, 3pm
Champions Cup Pool 4: ULSTER v Racing 92, Kingspan Stadium, 3.15pm (live beIN Sports/BT Sport)
Saturday, January 19 – Round 6
Champions Cup Pool 4: Leicester Tigers v ULSTER, Welford Road, 3.15pm (live BT Sport)
Champions Cup Pool 2: MUNSTER v Exeter Chiefs, Thomond Park, 5.30pm (live tbc/BT Sport)
Sunday, January 20 – Round 6
Champions Cup Pool 1: Wasps v LEINSTER, Ricoh Arena, 3.15pm (live BT Sport)
TBC: Challenge Cup Pool 3: Bordeaux-Bègles v CONNACHT, Stade Chaban-Delmas
Quarter-Finals: March 29/30/31
Semi-Finals: April 19/20/21
Challenge Cup Final: Friday, May 10, St James’ Park, Newcastle, 7.45pm
Champions Cup Final: Saturday, May 11, St James’ Park, Newcastle, 5pm